The political culture during the American founding period was remarkably different from that in Europe at the time.The state system the American founders cherished and conceived was distinguished fundamentally from the institutions of the European powers as well.While the"American state"was founded amidst significant wartime pressures,the founders aimed to establish a"minimal state"that was not designed to meet the demands of war but rather foster freedom.The political system that arose from the constitutional convention of 1787 was nothing more than a regular state with strictly defined basic powers The founders of the United States also had completely different views from Europeans on the mechanisms used by European powers to enhance state capacity,such as taxation,banks,public debts,and standing army.Meanwhile,they harbored a strong dislike for the European state systems and strove to construct new state institutions with a distinctly"non-Europeanization"approach In the prevailing thoughts about the state during the American founding period it is quite evident to trace the roots and principles of the anti-statist tradition in America,providing a historical reference for understanding the current operation of the American state.
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