--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Washington, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton…" description: "\"“Washington, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton, Adams, and Jefferson had imagined the American experiment coming to all sorts of bad ends. They never imagine..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/walter-a-mcdougall-74369_america_washington-franklin-madison-hamilton-ada_2071423.jpg" --- # Washington, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton, Adams, and… ![“Washington, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton, Adams, and Jefferson had imagined the American experiment coming to all sorts of bad ends. They never imagined the Federal City overrun by frontiersmen who cared nothing for history and loved only cheap land and credit, whiskey, tobacco, guns, fast women…” quote by Walter A. McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/walter-a-mcdougall-74369_america_washington-franklin-madison-hamilton-ada_2071423.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/walter-a-mcdougall-74369_america_washington-franklin-madison-hamilton-ada_2071423.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/walter-a-mcdougall-74369_america_washington-franklin-madison-hamilton-ada_2071423.jpg) > ““Washington, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton, Adams, and Jefferson had imagined the American experiment coming to all sorts of bad ends. They never imagined the Federal City overrun by frontiersmen who cared nothing for history and loved only cheap land and credit, whiskey, tobacco, guns, fast women, fast horses, and Jesus. Not necessarily in that order.”” [Walter A. McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-a-mcdougall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The founders imagined a noble experiment, but later the capital became dominated by frontier greed and vice. **In simple terms:** Founders' idealism clashed with later corruption. Key Takeaway Beware of corruption in progress. Themes history corruption urban development founding ideals frontier culture Mood critical historical analytical Type analysis warning When to use this quote - city planning - political reform - historical analysis - social policy Key Concepts political economy urbanization moral decay Questions to Reflect On - How can cities retain founding ideals? - What safeguards prevent greed from overtaking civic life? A Different Perspective Not all urban growth is positive; some leads to moral decline. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [American Experiment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-experiment-1571296/) [Franklin Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/franklin-madison-4001040/) [Frontiersmen Cared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frontiersmen-cared-4001039/) [History And Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-and-love-221040/) [Jefferson Imagined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jefferson-imagined-4001038/) [Overrun Frontiersmen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overrun-frontiersmen-4001041/) ## Related quotes > [“I feel the pulse of our bond and history and love through our hands, like a wave of magic, the return of a long-lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/i-feel-the-pulse-of-our-bond-and-history-and-love-through-our-hands/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [I want to make it clear that the black race did not come to the United States culturally empty-handed. 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McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-a-mcdougall/) > [“The creation of the United States of America is the central event of the past four hundred years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-a-mcdougall/the-creation-of-the-united-states-of-america-is-the-central-event-of/) [Walter A. McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-a-mcdougall/) [Explore all 3 Walter A. McDougall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-a-mcdougall/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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