Yes, they did. The best book on this subject is J.C.D. Clark’s THE LANGUAGE OF LIBERTY, which I reviewed in MODERN AGE many years ago. That review has been reprinted here:
http://www.theimaginativeconservative.org/2012/08/millennial-america.html
I also recommend the recent biography of Roger Sherman by Mark David Hall, which I reviewed here:
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/constitutional-calvinist/
