It seems that there's no end of sources in which America's 'Founding Fathers' looked back to the history of their ancestral British Isles for intellectual and philosophical precedent. Here is yet another, from John Adams' A defence of the constitutions of government of the United States of America (1797)
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"...There have been three periods in the history of England, in which the principles of government have been anxiously studied, and very valuable productions published, which at this day, if they are not wholly forgotten in their native country, are perhaps more frequently read abroad than at home.
The first of these periods was that of the Reformation, as early as the writings of Machiavel himself, who is called the great restorer of the true politics. The Short Treatise of Politicke Power, and of the true Obedience which Subjects owe to Kyngs and other civile Governors, with an Exhortation to all true natural Englifhemen, compyled by John Ponnet, D. D. was printed in 1556, and contains all the essential principles of liberty, which were afterwards dilated on by Sidney and Locke...
The second period was the Interregnum, and indeed the whole interval between 1640 and 1660. In the course of those twenty years, not only Ponnet and others were reprinted, but Harrington, Milton, the Vindiciae contra Tyrannos, and a multitude of others, came upon the stage.
The third period was the Revolution in 1688, which produced Sidney, Locke, Hoadley, Trenchard Gordon, Plato Redivivus, who is also clear for three equipollent branches in the mixture. and others without number. The discourses of Sidney were indeed written before, but the same causes produced his writings and the Revolution.
Americans should make collections of all these speculations, to be preserved as the most precious relics of antiquity, both for curiosity and use..."
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• Algernon Sidney (see article here), John Locke, and also James Tyrell were mentioned here a few weeks ago in this post. Time to look into their writings...
