Rousseau wrote that the process made by civilization and enlightenment had corrupted the human nature. Montesquieu had a different view, as he favored the English system of separation of powers. Voltaire was a strong supporter of monarchal power, writing History of the Russian Empire under Peter the Great.
The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia met between May and September of 1787 to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation.
