<p>Prompt: Are widely held views often wrong, or are such views more likely to be correct?</p>
<p>Widely held views are often correct. If a majority of people endorse a view, than it must be correct. In fact, any democratic nation is based on the principle of majority rule. The majority is usually correct. Many examples from history clearly demonstrate this principle of majority rule.</p>
<p>As demonstrated by the division among the American people during the Civil War era, widely held views are usually correct. The North and the South shared contrasting views on slavery. However, the North had a much larger population than the South. The majority of the American people supported the abolition of slavery. The North eventually won the Civil War and they abolished slavery. The principle of majority rules remained true in this situation. More Americans supported the abolition of slavery, and they were right to do so. Their views were fair and correct. Widely held views and opinions are, in fact, usually correct.</p>
<p>Through the actions of the Third Estate during the French Revolution, one can clearly see that the views held by the majority are usually correct. The Third Estate represented the majority of the French people. It represented the middle class and peasant class. The Third Estate wanted to see a change in power during the French Revolution. It decided to take the Tennis Court Oath and draw up a new Constitution for France. Eventually, members from the Second and Third Estate joined the Third Estate's cause. The events of the French Revolution reaffirm the principle of majority rules. In this situation, the Third Estate, the majority group, was able to start a revolution and convince the rest of society to join its cause. Therefore, widely held views are, in most cases, correct.</p>
<p>After careful analysis of the events of the Civil War and French Revolution, it can be concluded that widely held views are, indeed, correct. If the majority did not support the ideas of abolition and revolution, these movements would not have succeeded. The principle of majority rules has been important to all movements and governments throughout history.</p>
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