In effect the people were present through their representatives, and were themselves, step by step and point by point, acting in the conduct of publi… - Bernard Bailyn

At first the relevance of chattel slavery to libertarian ideals was noted only in individual passages of isolated pamphlets.

Everyone knew that democracy-direct rule by all the people-required such spartan, self-denying virtue on the part of all the people that it was likely to survive only where poverty made upright behavior necessary for the perpetuation of the race.

The primary function of a constitution was to mark out the boundaries of governmental powers-hence in England, where there was no constitution , there were no limits (save for the effect of trail by jury) to what the legislature might do.