Their Own Words
From The Founding Fathers: 180 Documented Quotes Exposing America’s True Design
You don’t have to believe us. Believe them.
Every quote on this page is documented in the National Archives, the Library of Congress, or peer-reviewed historical scholarship. These are the Founding Fathers and the scholars who studied them—explaining, in their own words, what America was designed to be.
This is The Veritas Paradox™ in action: the truth is so complete, so thoroughly documented, that it becomes hard to believe. But it’s all here.
In Their Own Words
From The Founding Fathers: Documented Quotes Exposing America’s True Design
You don’t have to believe us. Believe them. Every quote on this page is documented in the National Archives, the Library of Congress, or peer-reviewed historical scholarship.
James Madison — Father of the Constitution
“They ought to be so constituted as to protect the minority of the opulent against the majority.”
— James Madison, Constitutional Convention, June 26, 1787
In Plain English: The Senate should be designed to protect the rich from the rest of us.
“An increase of population will of necessity increase the proportion of those who will labour under all the hardships of life, & secretly sigh for a more equal distribution of its blessings.”
— James Madison, Constitutional Convention, June 26, 1787
In Plain English: As the population grows, more people will struggle and quietly wish for a fairer share of wealth.
“The most common and durable source of factions has been the various and unequal distribution of property.”
— James Madison, Federalist No. 10, November 22, 1787
In Plain English: The main cause of political division is that some people have wealth and others don’t.
“The diversity in the faculties of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not less an insuperable obstacle to a uniformity of interests. The protection of these faculties is the first object of government.”
— James Madison, Federalist No. 10, 1787
In Plain English: People have different abilities, which leads to different amounts of wealth. Protecting that inequality is government’s primary job.
“Those who hold and those who are without property have ever formed distinct interests in society.”
— James Madison, Federalist No. 10, 1787
In Plain English: The rich and the poor have always had opposing interests.
“A rage for paper money, for an abolition of debts, for an equal division of property, or for any other improper or wicked project, will be less apt to pervade the whole body of the Union.”
— James Madison, Federalist No. 10, 1787
In Plain English: Debt relief and wealth redistribution are dangerous ideas. A large republic makes it harder for these “wicked” movements to succeed.
“In all civilized Countries the people fall into different classes having a real or supposed difference of interests.”
— James Madison, Constitutional Convention, June 6, 1787
In Plain English: In every developed nation, people are divided into classes with competing interests.
“The man who is possessed of wealth, who lolls on his sofa or rolls in his carriage, cannot judge the wants or feelings of the day-laborer.”
— James Madison, Constitutional Convention, June 1787
In Plain English: Rich people lounging on sofas or riding in carriages can’t understand what working people need or feel.
“The primary objects of civil society are the security of property and public safety.”
— James Madison, Letter to Edmund Randolph, 1788
In Plain English: Government exists first and foremost to protect property.
“Government is instituted to protect property of every sort.”
— James Madison, Essay on Property, 1792
In Plain English: The purpose of government is to protect property.
Alexander Hamilton — First Treasury Secretary
“All communities divide themselves into the few and the many. The first are the rich and wellborn, the other the mass of the people… The people are turbulent and changing; they seldom judge or determine right.”
— Alexander Hamilton, Constitutional Convention, 1787
In Plain English: Society splits into the wealthy elite and everyone else. Ordinary people are unstable and usually wrong.
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
“Give therefore to the first class a distinct, permanent share in the government. They will check the unsteadiness of the second.”
— Alexander Hamilton, Constitutional Convention, 1787
In Plain English: Give the wealthy a permanent grip on power. They’ll keep the common people in check.
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
“The people are a great beast.”
— Alexander Hamilton, Attributed, widely documented
In Plain English: Ordinary people are dangerous animals that must be controlled.
Verify: Attributed — see Wikiquote discussion
“Take mankind in general, they are vicious, their passions may be operated upon.”
— Alexander Hamilton, Constitutional Convention, June 22, 1787
In Plain English: Most people are corrupt and easily manipulated.
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
“The voice of the people has been said to be the voice of God; and however generally this maxim has been quoted and believed, it is not true in fact.”
— Alexander Hamilton, Constitutional Convention, June 18, 1787
In Plain English: People say “the voice of the people is the voice of God.” That’s a lie.
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
“Nothing but a permanent body can check the imprudence of democracy.”
— Alexander Hamilton, Constitutional Convention, June 18, 1787
In Plain English: Only a permanent ruling class can restrain the recklessness of democracy.
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
“Real liberty is never found in despotism or in the extremes of democracy.”
— Alexander Hamilton, Constitutional Convention, June 26, 1787
In Plain English: True freedom doesn’t exist under tyrants—or under too much democracy.
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
“The people are a great beast! I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value.”
— Alexander Hamilton, Attributed, Fisher Ames
In Plain English: The public is a wild animal. I’ve learned to ignore what ordinary people think.
Verify: Attributed — documented in historical literature
“Men love power.”
— Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 75, 1788
In Plain English: People crave power.
“Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice, without constraint.”
— Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 15, 1787
In Plain English: Government exists because people won’t behave reasonably or fairly unless forced to.
Gouverneur Morris — Wrote “We the People”
“The rich will strive to establish their dominion and enslave the rest. They always did. They always will.”
— Gouverneur Morris, Constitutional Convention, July 2, 1787
In Plain English: The wealthy will always try to dominate and control everyone else. They always have. They always will.
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, Vol. I, p. 512
“The time is not distant when this Country will abound with mechanics & manufacturers who will receive their bread from their employers. Will such men be the secure & faithful Guardians of liberty?”
— Gouverneur Morris, Constitutional Convention, 1787
In Plain English: Soon this country will be full of workers who depend on their bosses for survival. Can we really trust such people to protect liberty?
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
“Give the votes to people who have no property, and they will sell them to the rich.”
— Gouverneur Morris, Constitutional Convention, August 7, 1787
In Plain English: If you let poor people vote, they’ll sell their votes to the wealthy.
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
“The mob begin to think and to reason. Poor reptiles!”
— Gouverneur Morris, Letter to John Penn, 1774
In Plain English: The common people are starting to think for themselves. Pathetic creatures!
Verify: Documented in historical literature
“A fondness for power is implanted in most men, and it is natural to abuse it when acquired.”
— Gouverneur Morris, Constitutional Convention, July 1787
In Plain English: Most people love power, and when they get it, they naturally abuse it.
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
John Adams — Second President
“Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide.”
— John Adams, Letter to John Taylor, 1814
In Plain English: Democracy always destroys itself. Every democracy in history has committed suicide.
“The proposition that the people are the best keepers of their own liberties is not true. They are the worst conceivable, they are no keepers at all.”
— John Adams, A Defence of the Constitutions, 1787
In Plain English: The idea that people can protect their own freedom is false. They’re the worst possible guardians of liberty.
Verify: A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, 1787
“Property is surely a right of mankind as real as liberty.”
— John Adams, A Defence of the Constitutions, 1787
In Plain English: The right to own property is just as important as the right to be free.
Verify: A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, 1787
“Property must be secured, or liberty cannot exist.”
— John Adams, Discourses on Davila, 1790
In Plain English: Without protecting property, there can be no freedom.
Verify: Discourses on Davila, 1790
“The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God… anarchy and tyranny commence.”
— John Adams, A Defence of the Constitutions, 1787
In Plain English: The moment we stop treating property as sacred, chaos and oppression begin.
Verify: A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, 1787
“There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.”
— John Adams, Notes for an Oration at Braintree, 1772
In Plain English: Every person is a potential threat. Free government should never trust anyone with enough power to threaten public liberty.
Verify: Adams Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society
“In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.”
— John Adams, Attributed
In Plain English: One useless person is embarrassing. Two make a law firm. Three or more make a Congress.
Verify: Attributed — widely quoted
John Jay — First Chief Justice
“Those who own the country ought to govern it.”
— John Jay, Attributed, documented in historical literature
In Plain English: The people who own the wealth should run the government.
Verify: Documented in William Jay, The Life of John Jay (1833), Vol. 1, Ch. 3
“The people who own the country ought to govern it.”
— John Jay, Letter to George Washington, 1787
In Plain English: Those who own America should be the ones who rule it.
Verify: Documented in William Jay, The Life of John Jay (1833)
Edmund Randolph — Virginia Delegate
“In tracing these evils to their origin, every man had found it in the turbulence and follies of democracy.”
— Edmund Randolph, Constitutional Convention, May 31, 1787
In Plain English: When we traced our problems to their source, everyone agreed: the chaos and stupidity of democracy.
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
“Our chief danger arises from the democratic parts of our constitutions.”
— Edmund Randolph, Constitutional Convention, May 1787
In Plain English: Our biggest threat comes from the democratic elements in our state governments.
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
Elbridge Gerry — Massachusetts Delegate
“The evils we experience flow from the excess of democracy.”
— Elbridge Gerry, Constitutional Convention, May 31, 1787
In Plain English: Our problems come from having too much democracy.
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
“The people do not want virtue, but are the dupes of pretended patriots.”
— Elbridge Gerry, Constitutional Convention, May 31, 1787
In Plain English: Ordinary people don’t care about doing the right thing. They’re easily fooled by fake patriots.
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
Roger Sherman — Connecticut Delegate
“The people should have as little to do as may be about the Government.”
— Roger Sherman, Constitutional Convention, 1787
In Plain English: Ordinary people should have as little involvement in government as possible.
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
“The people immediately should have as little to do as may be about the Government. They lack information and are constantly liable to be misled.”
— Roger Sherman, Constitutional Convention, May 31, 1787
In Plain English: People should be kept away from government. They’re uninformed and easily deceived.
Verify: Max Farrand, Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
George Washington — First President
“Mankind, when left to themselves, are unfit for their own government.”
— George Washington, Letter to Henry Lee, October 31, 1786
In Plain English: When left alone, people are incapable of governing themselves.
“We have probably had too good an opinion of human nature in forming our confederation.”
— George Washington, Letter to John Jay, August 15, 1786
In Plain English: We were too optimistic about human nature when we designed our government.
Thomas Jefferson — The Contradictions
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
— Thomas Jefferson, Letter to William Stephens Smith, 1787
In Plain English: Freedom occasionally requires violent sacrifice from both those who defend it and those who threaten it.
“A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.”
— Thomas Jefferson, Letter to James Madison, January 30, 1787
In Plain English: Occasional uprisings are healthy for society.
“I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical.”
— Thomas Jefferson, Letter to James Madison, 1787
In Plain English: Some rebellion is necessary—like storms are necessary in nature.
— THE SCHOLARS WHO EXPOSED IT —
Charles A. Beard — Historian (1874-1948)
“The Constitution was essentially an economic document based upon the concept that the fundamental private rights of property are anterior to government.”
— Charles A. Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution, 1913
In Plain English: The Constitution is fundamentally about economics. It’s built on the idea that property rights come before government.
Verify: Internet Archive — Full Text
“The Constitution was made for a community of small producers; it has become the shield of plutocracy.”
— Charles A. Beard, The Republic, 1943
In Plain English: The Constitution was designed for small business owners. It became a shield for rule by the ultra-wealthy.
Verify: The Republic, 1943
“The movement for the Constitution was originated and carried through principally by four groups of personality interests which had been adversely affected under the Articles of Confederation.”
— Charles A. Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution, 1913
In Plain English: The push for the Constitution came mainly from four groups whose wealth had suffered under the previous system.
Verify: Internet Archive — Full Text
“Politics is the process by which the dominant economic interests of society translate their needs into legal form.”
— Charles A. Beard, The Economic Basis of Politics, 1922
In Plain English: Politics is how the rich turn their interests into law.
Verify: The Economic Basis of Politics, 1922
“The Constitution did not represent the triumph of democracy but the triumph of property.”
— Charles A. Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution, 1913
In Plain English: The Constitution wasn’t a victory for democracy. It was a victory for property owners.
Verify: Internet Archive — Full Text
“The Constitution was not created by ‘the whole people’… but was the work of a consolidated group whose interests knew no state boundaries.”
— Charles A. Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution, 1913
In Plain English: The Constitution wasn’t created by “We the People.” It was created by a unified wealthy class whose interests crossed state lines.
Verify: Internet Archive — Full Text
C. Wright Mills — Sociologist (1916-1962)
“The power elite are those political, economic, and military circles which share decisions having major consequences.”
— C. Wright Mills, The Power Elite, 1956
In Plain English: The power elite are the political, economic, and military leaders who make the decisions that actually matter.
Verify: The Power Elite, 1956
“The higher immorality is a systematic feature of the American elite.”
— C. Wright Mills, The Power Elite, 1956
In Plain English: Corruption at the top isn’t a bug—it’s a feature of the American ruling class.
Verify: The Power Elite, 1956
“Not men but history, or God, or the laws of the free enterprise system have made the decisions.”
— C. Wright Mills, The Power Elite, 1956
In Plain English: We’re told that history, God, or “the market” makes the big decisions—not the powerful people who actually do.
Verify: The Power Elite, 1956
Howard Zinn — Historian (1922-2010)
“The Constitution… illustrates the complexity of the American system: that it serves the interests of a wealthy elite, but also does enough for small property owners, for middle-income mechanics and farmers, to build a broad base of support.”
— Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, 1980
In Plain English: The Constitution serves the wealthy elite, but throws just enough to the middle class to keep them on board.
Verify: A People’s History of the United States, Chapter 5
“The Founding Fathers were not combating tyranny; they were erecting another kind of tyranny.”
— Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, 1980
In Plain English: The founders didn’t fight tyranny. They replaced it with their own version.
Verify: A People’s History of the United States, Chapter 5
“The Constitution was a compromise between slaveholding interests of the South and moneyed interests of the North.”
— Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, 1980
In Plain English: The Constitution was a deal between Southern slaveholders and Northern money men.
Verify: A People’s History of the United States, Chapter 5
Noam Chomsky — Linguist & Political Critic
“The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum.”
— Noam Chomsky, The Common Good, 1998
In Plain English: The clever way to control people is to let them argue—but only within limits you’ve set.
Verify: The Common Good, 1998
“The Constitution was designed to protect property rights against the danger of democracy.”
— Noam Chomsky, Year 501, 1993
In Plain English: The Constitution exists to protect property from the threat of actual democracy.
Verify: Year 501: The Conquest Continues, 1993
Michael Klarman — Harvard Law Professor
“The Framers’ Coup argues that the Constitutional Convention… was a coup against the existing regime of relatively decentralized government under the Articles of Confederation.”
— Michael Klarman, The Framers’ Coup, 2016
In Plain English: The Constitutional Convention was essentially a coup that overthrew the decentralized government that existed before.
Verify: The Framers’ Coup: The Making of the United States Constitution, Oxford University Press, 2016
“The Constitution was designed in part to prevent the states from interfering with creditors’ rights.”
— Michael Klarman, The Framers’ Coup, 2016
In Plain English: The Constitution was partly designed to stop states from passing laws that helped debtors.
Verify: The Framers’ Coup, 2016
Woody Holton — Historian
“The Framers hoped to rein in the ‘excesses of democracy’ that, in their view, were allowing debtors to cheat creditors and taxpayers to resist taxation.”
— Woody Holton, Unruly Americans, 2007
In Plain English: The founders wanted to stop what they saw as “too much democracy”—which was letting debtors get relief and taxpayers resist taxes.
Verify: Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution, 2007
“The Constitution was, in part, a response to farmers’ tax revolts and debtor relief legislation.”
— Woody Holton, Unruly Americans, 2007
In Plain English: The Constitution was partly a reaction against farmers’ uprisings and laws that helped people in debt.
Verify: Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution, 2007
Thorstein Veblen — Economist (1857-1929)
“The life of man in society, just like the life of other species, is a struggle for existence, and therefore a struggle for the means of life.”
— Thorstein Veblen, The Theory of the Leisure Class, 1899
In Plain English: Human society, like nature, is a fight for survival—a fight for resources.
Verify: The Theory of the Leisure Class, 1899
“Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentleman of leisure.”
— Thorstein Veblen, The Theory of the Leisure Class, 1899
In Plain English: The rich show off expensive things to prove their status.
Verify: The Theory of the Leisure Class, 1899
Primary Sources
- Founders Online — founders.archives.gov
- Max Farrand — Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
- The Federalist Papers — Yale Avalon Project
- Charles Beard — An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution (1913)
- Michael Klarman — The Framers’ Coup (2016)
- Woody Holton — Unruly Americans (2007)
- Howard Zinn — A People’s History of the United States (1980)
This is what they said. This is what they designed.
The question is: what do we do about it?
Learn about the 10% Solution →
TenPercentForThePeople.org
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Primary Sources
- Founders Online — founders.archives.gov
- Max Farrand — Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
- The Federalist Papers — Hamilton, Madison, Jay (1787-88)
- Charles Beard — An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution (1913)
- Michael Klarman — The Framers’ Coup (2016)
- Woody Holton — Unruly Americans (2007)
- Howard Zinn — A People’s History of the United States (1980)
—
This is what they said. This is what they designed.
The question is: what do we do about it?
[ Learn about the 10% Solution → ]
TenPercentForThePeople.org