Introduction: Published in January of 1787, six months before the Constitutional Convention by American Founder, John Adams. In it he calls for a republic consisting of a balance of powers between the executive, judicial, and legislative powers. Citing penetrating examples of the successes, but mostly failures in so-called republican experiments and the reasons for those failures which usually consisted in a failure to balance those powers. For those pushing for a more pure democracy today are many examples of what history has proven about their baneful effects including centralization of power, violent factions, and moral corruption in the extreme, and thus anarchy and tyranny. Written in typical Adams prose, a most worthy read. Of interest is Adams call for a thorough examination of the constitutions of the American Indians which had well defined these three powers, and which he said were given unfairly a bad name. Steve Farrell
Preface
Letter 1 Preliminary Observations
Letter 2
Democratical Republics
Letter 3 St. Marino
Letter 4 Biscay, The Grisons, United Provinces of the Low Lands
Letter 5 Switzerland, Appenzel
Letter 6 Switzerland, Underwald
Letter 7 Switzerland, Glaris
Letter 8 Switzerland, Zug
Letter 9 Switzerland, Uri
Letter 10 Switzerland, Switz
Aristocratical Republics
Letter 11 Switzerland, Berne
Letter 12 Switzerland, Fribourg
Letter 13 Switzerland, Soleure
Letter 14 Switzerland, Lucerne
Letter 15 Switzerland, Zurich
Letter 16 Switzerland, Shaffhause, Mulhouse, Bienne
Letter 17 Republics of St. Gall, and Geneva
Letter 18 Swiss Republics of Lucca and Genoa
Letter 19 Republic of Venice, United Provinces of the Low Countries
Monarchical Republics
Letter 20 England
Letter 21 Poland
Letter 22 POLAND, Part 2
Letter 23 RECAPITULATION
Ancient Republics and Opinions of Philosophers
Letter 24 DR. JONATHAN SWIFT
Letter 25 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Letter 26 DR RICHARD PRICE
Mixed Governments
Letter 27 MACHIAVELLI
Letter 28 SIDNEY, MONTESQUIEU
Ancient Republics, And Opinions of Philosophers
Letter 29 Harrington
Letter 30 POLYBIUS Part 1
Letter 31 POLYBIUS Part 2
Letter 32 Dionysius, Valerius
Letter 33 Plato
Letter 34 Sir Thomas Smith
Letter 35 Carthage
Ancient Aristocratical Republics
Letter 36 Rome
Ancient Monarchical Republics
Letter 37 Tacitus on Ancient Germans
Letter 38 HOMER on PHÆACIA
Letter 39 HOMER on ITHACA
Ancient Aristocratical Republics
Letter 40 LACEDÆMON
Ancient Democratical Republics
Letter 41 Athens
Letter 42 Antalcidas Crushes Liberty by Deceit
Letter 43 Achaia and the Volatility of Small Republics
Letter 44 Crete’s So-Called Democracy
Letter 45 Corinth
Letter 46 Argos
Letter 47 Iphitus
Letter 48Â Thebes
Ancient Aristocratical Republics
Letter 49 Crotona, Pythagorus
Letter 50Â Sybaris, Charondas
Letter 51 Locris, Zaleucus
Letter 52 Rome
Conclusion
Letter 53 Congress
Letter 54 Locke, Milton, and Hume
Letter 55 Conclusion