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Quote by Fisher Ames

“[O]ur sages in the great [constitutional] convention... intended our government should be a republic which differs more widely from a democracy than a democracy from a despotism. The rigours of a despotism often... oppress only a few, but it is the very essence and nature of a democracy, for a faction claiming to oppress a minority, and that minority the chief owners of the property and truest lovers of their country.”

Quote by Fisher Ames

Author

Fisher Ames
Fisher Ames

Fisher Ames was a significant figure in the early history of the United States, serving as a Representative from Massachusetts. He was instrumental in drafting the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Ames was born on April 9, 1758, and died on July 4, 1808. more

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