What did Americans generally think was the most important ingredient in any successful republican government?

Question

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Americans generally believed that the virtue of the citizens was the most important ingredient in any successful republican government. They believed that people who were virtuous were more likely to make good decisions and act in the best interest of the community, rather than their own personal interests. This belief in the importance of virtue was influenced by the ideas of Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who argued that human beings were naturally good and capable of governing themselves if they were educated and virtuous. While education, property rights, the right to vote, and a written constitution with a bill of rights were also important to Americans, they were seen as secondary to the virtue of the citizens.

What Did Americans Generally Think Was the Most Important Ingredient