Page "Tyranny of the majority" Paragraph 3

The phrase " tyranny of the majority " was used by John Adams in 1788.

The phrase gained prominence after its appearance in 1835 in Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville, where it is the title of a section.

It was further popularised by John Stuart Mill, who cites de Tocqueville, in On Liberty ( 1859 ).

The Federalist Papers refer to the broad concept, as in Federalist 10, first published in 1787, which speaks of " the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority.