Many in the revolutionary period did worry about the consequences of too much wealth, luxury, and inequality on “republican virtue.” They understood that excessive wealth in the hands of the few could give that few a power threatening to a democratic republic, that vast inequalities in means were a problem for a society dedicated to the proposition of universal equality. But the founders took no steps to limit wealth other than to permit taxes. They knew there would be fights about taxes and other financial issues that would pit the few against the many. Their system was designed to allow that
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