Humans are naturally cruel and must be controlled by an absolute and powerful leader.
Thomas Hobbes (1588 – 1679) described his doctrine of the foundation of states and legitimate authorities in the book Leviathan. Hobbes claimed the need for a strong central authority to avoid the evil human nature and civil war. Hobbes postulates are the base of social contract theory.
Farming remained the the main economic activity. It moved west with settlement. Inventions, such as cotton gin, encouraged planters to grow even more crops.
The most important precedent was Washington's final act as president: He stepped down after completing two terms. Pressed to serve a third, he believed that a peaceful transition of power to a newly elected president would be in the nation's best interest.
