Why did America's Founding Fathers choose to establish a federal republic?

Question

Why did America's Founding Fathers choose to establish a federal republic?

Answer 1

They were deeply influenced by enlightenment writers like John Locke.  They saw that the power of government could easily be used to create tyranny, and the one way of reducing that risk is to build a government which is perpetually turned against itself.  The Federal Republic to which you refer is just that sort of government.  The Founding Fathers figured that it was the form which would be least dangerous, most deliberate, provide people with a voice in government, and protect the rights of the minority from abuse by the majority.  By creating the different branches (Judicial, Executive and Legilsative) independent of each other, and responsible for different phases of governing, they created a system whereby each branch was checked by the others, and could also check the others.  In a way, it's really brilliant, although it does make our form of government rather less responsive than a dictatorship or monarchy.  It protects the rights of individuals from the abuse of power, and that is really what it was supposed to do.

Answer 2

Well, there were 13 independant colonies, each with their own governments.  Each colony wished to maintain it's own identity, borders and jurisdiction.  However, the 13 colonies also saw that there was more to gain through unification.  No one, except a very small few, desired a gentry class of rulers that would be on the same par as English royalty.  The popular philosophy of the era especially among the Founding Fathers was rooted in the idea that class or gender did not make the person, but actions did, and that all people should be afforded the opportunity to seek their happiness and ambitions.  

So... with that...  a federalized system was formed.  This placed a government over the state governments.  The federal government jurisdiction was established to address issues that affected the entire country, and not an individual state, such as trade, basic principles (bill of rights), and a balanced way for states and individuals interests to weighed (two houses of congress, three branches of government, checks and balances of power).  

The republic part is the elected representative form of government (congress) with a heirarchial head (president) and a judiciary to balance out and rule on discrepancies and disputes (supreme court).  

It's quite genius actually.