Adams wanted proportional representation but rejected vesting all power in any one body

Evidence

For Adams, the foundation of an ideal republic rested on the lower legislative house, or “Representative Assembly,” which “should be in miniature, an exact portrait of the people at large.” He stressed this point in all versions of his letter. “Equal interest among the people should have equal interest in it,” Adams declared. “Great care should be taken to effect this, and to prevent unfair, partial, and corrupt elections.” Against the unnamed specter of Common Sense, however, he railed against entrusting “all the powers of government” to this or any single entity because such entities “would make arbitrary laws for their own interest” or the interests that controlled them. — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 174

Categorization

• DEFINE: Shows Adams defining the ideal legislative chamber as an ‘exact portrait of the people,’ a foundational articulation of representation theory.
• ADDENDUM: Adams’ proportional-representation ideal and his wariness of concentrated power anticipates later doctrine debates about majority tyranny relevant to foundational legal values coursework.