Richard Hofstadter and U.S. History

One of the more interesting statements made by Hofstadter is that it is ironic that the Constitution "is based upon a political theory that at one crucial point stands in direct antithesis to the mainstream of American democratic faith" (Hofstadter 13). By this he means that there is a difference between democracy and liberty which the Founding Fathers recognized, and the liberty they most desired was property, which they saw as menaced by democracy. Hofstadter further says that the propertied class benefited most from the Constitution and that the document had in fact been developed by members of that class for their own protection:

They wanted freedom from fiscal uncertainty and irregularities in the currency, from trade wars among the states, from economic discrimination by more powerful foreign governments, from attacks on the creditor class or on property, from popula

. . .
es included by the framers for the purpose of federalism and balance. The first of these is a federated government to protect from the danger of a popular uprising. The second is the mechanism of representation itself, a republican rather than a democratic form of government. The third was the creation of two houses for the legislature (Hofstadter 12-13). Hofstadter describes how the Founding Fathers developed the federal system in his chapter "The Founding Fathers: An Age of Realism." In his chapter on Thomas Jefferson--"Thomas Jefferson: The Aristocrat as Democrat"--he suggests that the election of Jefferson in 1800 was an important test of federalism. Jefferson was a democrat who battled the Federalists, and when he was elected, as Hofstadter points out, "the more naive Federalists, frightened to the marrow by their own propaganda, imagined that the end of the world had come" (Hofstadter 43). Jefferson was seen as an example of the worst of any democratic political leader, for it was believed he would do anything to gain advantage with the voters and so would appeal to the worst in the masses. This was what the Federalists feared from democracy, but in fact the system that had been instituted mitigated against the dema
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Founding Fathers, Civil War, Hofstadter North, Aristocrat Democrat--he, Thomas Jefferson, Civil War--have, Federalists Constitutional, Daniel Boorstin, President Lincoln, Hofstadter Jefferson, federal system, founding fathers, civil war, american political, class benefited constitution, propertied class, hofstadter propertied, benefited constitution, government hofstadter, class benefited, federal government, hofstadter propertied class, american political tradition, propertied class benefited,
Approximate Word count = 1438
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Richard Hofstadter and U.S. History