Series 2/10
The Founders, fresh from the Revolution’s scars, knew tyranny’s face: King George’s arbitrary rule, taxes without consent, suspended assemblies. But by 1787, new threats loomed under the Articles of Confederation. As Hamilton lamented in Federalist No. 15, (The free link to The Federalist Papers on sidebar) the system was “radically vicious”—a loose league where Congress begged states for funds and troops, leading to unpaid soldiers, foreign scorn, and internal discord. States quarreled over borders and tariffs; Britain and Spain exploited weaknesses, closing ports and inciting Native tribes.
They rejected monarchy’s divine right and pure democracy’s mob rule, fearing, as Madison wrote in Federalist No. 10, “factions” where majorities crush minorities. Instead, they forged a republic with checks: separation of powers to curb ambition, per Federalist No. 51—”If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” Pillar 1: Accountability to the Structure means upholding these limits, not bending them amid crises like the 1780s’ economic despair. Sowell (Thomas Sowell) echoes: History’s lessons prevent repeats. #FoundingWisdom
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Grateful Immigrant 