effective centralized government if the people were to be governed effectively. This focus was bolstered further by the beliefs of other Constitutional makers, like John Jay whose favorite maxim was “The people who own the country ought to govern it.” With such an emphasis on propertied interests, made it such that the Constitutional makers thought it most beneficial, to leave it to those who would fund the new government to be most involved. Roger Sherman thought that “the people *should* have as little to do as may be about the government.”Noting that they were too democratic with the Articles of Confederation, but refusing to go back to tyrannical, arbitrary rule the Fathers were unwilling to turn their backs on republicanism. As seen with the second quote, John Adams outlines the ramifications of having uncontrolled powers. Washington had even repudiated a suggestion that he become a military dictator, thought “we are apt to run from one extreme to another.” It was this belief, if not fear that made the framers set up a government that was to be balanced. Governeur Morris understood that, “Wealth tends to corrupt the mind and to nourish its love of power, and to stimulate it to oppression. History proves this to be the spirit of the opulent.” Therefore as seen with the second quote, Hofstadter is emphasizing the compromise in leaving a form of representative government as well as having a strong federal government in that “its several constituent parts may, by their mutual relations, be the means of keeping each other in their proper places.” Therefore they saw it as in their form of a small direct democracy the unstable passions of the people would dominate law making; but a representative government, as Madison stated, would “refine and enlarge the public views by passing them through the medium of a chosen body of citizens.” John Adams finally pointed out in ...
