After the Constitutional Convention ended, George Washington commented to Marquis de Lafayette, February 7, 1788:
âWith regard to the two great points (the pivots on which the whole machine must move) my creed is simply:
First, That the general Government is not invested with more powers than are indispensably necessary to perform functions of a good government â¦
Secondly, That these Powers ⦠are so distributed among the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches, into which the general Government is arranged, that it can never be in danger of degenerating into a monarchy, an oligarchy, an aristocracy, or any other despotic or oppressive form; so long as there shall remain any virtue in the body of the People â¦â