Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He had previously served as the second vice president of the United States between 1797 and 1801. The principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was a proponent of democracy, republicanism, and individual rights, motivating American colonists to break from the Kingdom of Great Britain and form a new nation; he produced formative documents and decisions at both the state and national levels. Wikipedia, Thomas Jefferson

In 1789, Thomas Jefferson proposed that the Constitution and all national laws should expire every 19 years to ensure "the earth belongs in usufruct to the living." Based on his analysis of mortality rates, he argued that since a majority of any generation would be dead after two decades, their laws and debts should not bind those who follow. For Jefferson, forcing a new generation to live under the "dead hand" of the past was a violation of natural rights and an obstacle to progress.
James Madison responded with a pragmatic rebuttal, warning that such frequent resets would lead to political instability and economic ruin. He argued that a government needs a sense of permanence and "veneration" to maintain public order and that many long-term benefits, like infrastructure, justify carrying debts across generations. While Jefferson’s radical idea of a "scheduled revolution" was never adopted, it remains a landmark argument for the right of each generation to reform its own government.