It's important to remember that those who will set up a new government for a new nation named, The United States of America, will pull from their

It's important to remember that those who will set up a new government for a new nation named, The United States of America, will pull from their knowledge of other governments and theories of government. 

In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, what was the task of governments and those who held power in a particular government?