The intense polarization between founders like Hamilton and Jefferson prevented either side from creating national or local monopolies. This messy, unintentional outcome created an extraordinarily dynamic and open economy, which became a fertile ground for entrepreneurs by institutionalizing competing interests and preventing entrenched privileges.

Modern anxieties about a president's despotic tendencies, often associated with Donald Trump, are not new. Tocqueville himself observed similar concerns about Andrew Jackson in 1831, noting Jackson's inclination "to become a despot." This historical parallel suggests a recurring tension within American democracy regarding executive power.

Despite his moral opposition to dueling and the immense personal risk, Alexander Hamilton accepted Aaron Burr's challenge because he believed refusing would damage his public standing. He felt he needed to maintain his reputation to be "useful" in future political crises facing the fragile republic.

The best chance to abolish the Electoral College failed not on its merits, but because Southern senators voted against it to punish Senator Birch Bayh. They were retaliating against him for blocking two of Nixon's controversial Supreme Court nominees, sacrificing major reform for political payback.

Despite being a champion of limited government and a strict interpretation of the Constitution, Jefferson's most celebrated achievement, the Louisiana Purchase, was likely unconstitutional. He chose pragmatic national expansion over his own ideological purity.

The over 12,000 failed attempts to amend the Constitution are not just legislative footnotes; they constitute a meaningful archive of what the American people have wanted from their government but were unable to achieve, offering a people's history of constitutional desires.

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was convened primarily because the Articles of Confederation required unanimous consent for amendments. This allowed a single state, 'Rogue' Rhode Island, to repeatedly block necessary changes, proving the system was unworkable and necessitating a complete replacement.

Unlike his contemporaries who adhered to strong ideologies, Aaron Burr was primarily driven by self-aggrandizement. This lack of fixed principles made him adaptable but also untrustworthy in the eyes of rivals like Hamilton, who viewed him as a threat to the republic.

The Dutch Republic's executive office, the Stadtholder, became hereditary under William the Silent's descendants and eventually evolved into a formal monarchy. This historical precedent fueled Thomas Jefferson's anxiety that the American presidency could similarly transform into a hereditary kingship.