Founders defined good government as maximizing popular happiness through impartial law execution.

Evidence

“In this enlightened Age, there will be no dispute, in Speculation, that the Happiness of the People, the great End of Man, is the End of Government,” he went on. “Therefore, that Form of Government, which will produce the greatest Quantity of Happiness, is the best.” In the published version of his letter, Adams equated happiness to “ease, comfort, [and] security,” such that whatever form of government communicates “these to the greatest number of persons, and in the greatest degree, is the best.” … “That form of government, which is best contrived to secure an impartial and exact execution of the laws is the best of Republics,” he wrote, and designing such a government requires “the greatest care.” — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 173

Categorization

• XREF: Founding first-principles articulation of aim of government and rule-of-law ideal; directly served by the course’s foundational-values theme. — connects to: Government’s end is human good, not rulers’ will — John Locke, Second Treatise of Government, 286
• DEFINE: Useful primary-text definitional grounding for how 1776 thought defined justice as impartial, exact execution of law aimed at collective happiness.

Broader Connections

• Government’s end is human good, not rulers’ will #corroborates (0.95) — John Locke, Second Treatise of Government, 286