Thomas Jefferson and the power of the people.

History taught him [Thomas Jefferson] that the rich and powerful will steal and oppress if given half a chance.  Jefferson taught that every government degenerates when it is left to the rulers alone, because rulers ... misuse the public trust.  The people themselves, he said, are the only prudent repository of power.

But he worried that the people ... are easily misled.  So he advocated safeguards, insurance policies.  One was the constitutional separation of powers; accordingly, various groups, some pursuing their own selfish interest, balance one another, preventing any one of them from running away with the county: the executive, legislative and judicial branches; the House and the Senate; the States and the Federal Government.  He also stressed, passionately and repeatedly, that it was essential for the people to understand the risks and benefits of government, to educate themselves, and to involve themselves in the political process.  Without that, he said, the wolves will take over.