Do the American revolutionaries have an optimistic or pessimistic view of life?

Taken as a group, the revolutionary Founders of the United States were both optimistic and pessimistic about life in general and human beings more particularly. They were optimistic in that they believed a new political and social beginning was worthwhile and could last. They were pessimistic in that they emphasized the need for continual vigilance and education, among other things, as the keys to maintaining a free, flourishing society.