The American Founders

While the only American founding father that is the subject of an entire chapter is Thomas Jefferson, Hofstadter analyzes the other founders as a whole, based not on their differences but on the common political philosophy they shared and how it shaped American history. The Founders were extremely 'realistic' in their view of human nature. They believed that humans were imminently corruptible and that government should be structured so as to prevent abuses of power. They self-consciously aimed to create a government that would protect the individual liberties of the people against any threat. They sought to produce a system of checks and balances that would pit the natural interests of differing groups against one another and prevent any one group from gaining too much power. They believed strongly in the rights of private property and believed that all those with political power should be property...