Fears of a Setting Sun

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Whatever hope the Founding Fathers felt at the birth of the new government faded for most by the end of their lives. Franklin witnessed the Constitution in action for only a year, while many founders who lived into the nineteenth century experienced anxiety, disappointment, and despair about the nation they helped create. By their later years, many deemed the Constitution a failure unlikely to endure beyond their generation. This narrative centers on four key figures from 1787: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, each losing faith in the American experiment for different reasons. Washington's disillusionment stemmed from the rise of parties, Hamilton felt the federal government lacked vigor, Adams believed the populace lacked civic virtue, and Jefferson was troubled by sectional divisions exacerbated by Northern efforts to limit slavery and centralize power. While these four were prominent in their disappointment, they were not alone; many other founders, such as Samuel Adams, John Jay, James Monroe, and Thomas Paine, shared similar sentiments. The notable exception was James Madison, who, despite his concerns, largely maintained his faith in the republic, a point explored in the concluding chapter.