John Adams, the second U.S. president from 1797 to 1801, was a central figure in the formation of the United States. He helped to draft the Declaration of Independence together with Thomas Jefferson. And, he was skeptical about the long-term viability of democracy.
In a series of correspondence between John Adams and John Taylor, the former shares in detail his thoughts on politics and philosophy. This correspondence is dated December 17, 1814:
“Remember Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a Democracy Yet, that did not commit suicide. It is in vain to Say that Democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious or less avaricious than Aristocracy or Monarchy. It is not true in Fact and nowhere appears in history. Those Passions are the same in all Men under all forms of Simple Government, and when unchecked, produce the same Effects of Fraud, Violence and Cruelty.”