Final answer:
The founding ideal with the most potential for future conflict during America's colonial period was the contradiction between the quest for liberty and the practice of slavery, which was maintained by many of the founders themselves.
Step-by-step explanation:
Based on America's colonial period, the founding ideal that seems to hold the most potential for future conflict was the balance between the desire for liberty and the practice of slavery. The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution reflected Enlightenment ideals of popular sovereignty and natural rights, yet the institution of slavery was an inherent contradiction that many of the founders themselves maintained. Furthermore, the differing interpretations of such foundational values as liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and justice, particularly how these should be protected and by whom, promised ongoing debates and struggles within the fabric of the emerging nation.