[CrazyIvan]

Sadly they modeled themselves after us. We have strayed and they have not. This from the Library of Congress.

Widespread Interest in the Founding Documents

In 1847 and 1848 a wave of democratic revolutions swept through Europe. A brief civil war in Switzerland resulted in a new constitution modeled after the United States Constitution, which transformed the government of Switzerland from an alliance of republics to a federal nation.

[publius911]

In 1847 and 1848 a wave of democratic revolutions swept through Europe. A brief civil war in Switzerland resulted in a new constitution modeled after the United States Constitution, which transformed the government of Switzerland from an alliance of republics to a federal nation.

Makes me wonder why illegal Koranimal "Widows and Orphans" from the Middle East and Africa aren't rioting to get into Switzerland burning down their refugee facilities and demanding more Nutella...

[marktwain]

To some extent, we modeled ourselves after Switzerland.

Machiavelli was widely read by the Founders.

The Swiss have always had a lot of guns and significant freedom.  Machiavelli noted it in "The Prince" in 1517:

“Moreover, a Republic trusting to her own forces, is with greater difficulty than one which relies on foreign arms brought to yield obedience to a single citizen. Rome and Sparta remained for ages armed and free. The Swiss are at once the best armed and the freest people in the world.”

[tomkat]

Those two historical vignettes are both very interesting and rather depressing .. my thanks to you !

We have, in so many ways, become a latter day model for other nations of what NOT to do   :-\