There is a lot to be grateful for in regards to our Founding Fathers, especially their realism and down-to-earth acceptance of human nature in the formation of government in the United States. It’s important to characterize their views of the role of government in the context of how government evolved over time and compare it to the viewpoints of subsequent generations of Americans. They certainly believed in democracy, but they viewed our democratic government as having a very specific purpose that is often overlooked in present times. They believed in a classical democracy whereby virtue exemplified in government would see its salutary influence permeate throughout society. In their eyes, government was not an arena for perpetuating the interests of certain groups and individuals, but rather an avenue of moral betterment. In fact, it was said that the cultivation and betterment of the human mind was the “most noble object” of government. The Founding Fathers saw themselves as moral teachers with a duty to enlighten the people with a moral foundation. We identify with their ideals, but amidst the disarray of interests and partisanship that comes to the fore of our modern political landscape, we unfortunately can lose sight of them. It’s useful to keep in mind the original objective of government in the United States, and that our democratic institutions were structured to serve as a medium for fortifying and furthering our moral character.