Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628-1691 CE) was the largest English settlement in New England and the most influential both in the colonization of the region.
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