The Founding Fathers were great students of history, and as such they could best represent what Americans - both in their time and in future generations - would need to understand and perpetuate for freedom, peace and prosperity to remain parts of American society. Some of these are familiar to most citizens, such as checks and balances between the three parts of government and that all men are created equal. Some are less well-known, like the avoidance of making alliances with our frindly nations and the 'genius of natural law'. Others are more nuanced than we might initially think, such as the sovereignity of the people and the advantages of a republic over a demoncracy. These are all discussed at length in The 5000 Year Leap. W. Cleon Skousen, a Mormon historian, writes outside of his belief system to address specifically American foundational governmental principles in this very comprehensive volume.
