Why do historians think the constitution would not have been approved had it been sent to the people for a vote?

The Constitution is highly honored today, at home and around the world. However, when it was originally written many Americans were against it. They were upset that the document contained no Bill of Rights to protect their individual freedoms. Many felt that the Constitution was the work of rich men who meant to weaken what the American Revolution had achieved.

The Constitution of 1791, France’s first attempt at a written constitution

On June 20th 1789 the newly formed National Assembly gathered in a Versailles tennis court and pledged not to disband until France had a working constitution. Their desire for a constitution was a product of the Enlightenment and the American Revolution. The deputies of the Third Estate believed that any reforms to the Ancien Régime must be guaranteed and underpinned by a written framework. A constitution would define the authority, structure and powers of the new government, preventing the abuses and injustices of the old order. With this in mind, the National Assembly set about drafting a national constitution almost immediately. The process was a long and difficult one, hampered by differences of opinion, growing radicalism and the events of 1789-91. Their deliberations eventually produced the Constitution of 1791, which was ratified in September that year. This document established a constitutional monarchy and incorporated several political ideas from the Enlightenment. The fate of the 1791 Constitution, however, hinged on the attitude and actions of the king.