Few things are more enlightening than the federalist papers. The nature of the old English prose makes is a difficult read but still very worth. This is not my first read and every time I read them I come away with new learning.
Our founders were SEVERELY familiar with the nature of man and our inability to contain evil. This knowledge saturated every element of our governments design. The massive number of checks and balances were well considered and the various responsibilities were carefully decided. Dorking with it over the past 2 centuries has undone many of these original design principles making increasing amounts of corruption possible over the years
Individual liberty was also a cornerstone of the founders focus. I was moved by the insight on the size of government. Regardless of why or how government might grow it was Hamilton’s considered opinion that our individual liberty and our very lives would be distracted by large government and that we have more important thinks to consider than the Federal Government