ABSTRACT
The American contribution to human progress has been outstanding. And it all traces back to a successful blending of the individual desire for advancement with a practical system of representative government. In this political achievement one can find the basis of the unrivaled productive accomplishment that is an important characteristic, but certainly not the central purpose, of this Republic. The Republic requires of its citizens not only a sense of responsibility for the future, but also some appreciation of the past. The new "national government" must on the one hand be able to sustain "republican liberty" against "the abuses of it practiced in some of the states". On the other hand, this new government must be strong enough to preserve "the rights of the minority", continuously jeopardized "in all cases where a majority are united by a common interest or passion".
