A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America

A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America is a three-volume work by John Adams, published in 1787. In this work, Adams aimed to warn Americans against revolutionary ideals that envisioned a radical break from the past and a fundamental transformation of human nature or society. He believed such utopian expectations were illusory and driven by "ideology."

Adams argued that conflicts between different social classes, which had troubled medieval Europe, would also affect the United States due to inherent human nature. He blended Puritan insights on emotional forces with Enlightenment ideas on controlling these forces through government. Adams contended that elites are unavoidable but must be controlled and their ambitions directed toward public good. He also argued that the chief executive should have enough power to check the ambitions of propertied classes, a view that led to him being misunderstood as endorsing aristocratic or monarchical rule. His realistic perspective and skepticism toward utopian schemes have gained support, particularly after the failures of 20th-century social transformations in the communist bloc.1