John Adams
1765
Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we h
Founders' Quotes
The Founders on
Individual Liberty
James Wilson
Of the Study of the Law in the United States, 1790
Without liberty, law loses its nature and its name, and becomes oppression. Without law, liberty als
James Madison
Essays for the National Gazette, 1792
In Europe, charters of liberty have been granted by power. America has set the example … of charters
The Founders on
Federalism
James Madison
Federalist 45, 1788
“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Th
Tenth Amendment
1791
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the State
Thomas Jefferson
Opinion on the Constitutionality of a National Bank, 1791
I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground that ‘all powers not delegated
The Founders on
Limited Government
James Madison
Federalist 14, 1787
[T]he general government is not to be charged with the whole power of making and administering laws:
James Madison
Federalist 48, 1788
It will not be denied that power is of an encroaching nature and that it ought to be effectually res
Thomas Jefferson
Letter to James Madison, 1787
I own I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always oppressive.
Alexander Hamilton
Federalist 33, 1788
The propriety of a law, in a constitutional light, must always be determined by the nature of the po
The Founders on
Separation of Powers
James Madison
Federalist 84, 1788
An elective despotism was not the government we fought for; but one in which the powers of governmen
James Madison
Federalist 47, 1788
The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of
James Madison
Federalist 51, 1788
I own I am not a friend A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the governme
Thomas Jefferson
Letter to James Madison, 1797
The principle of the Constitution is that of a separation of Legislative, Executive and Judiciary fu
The Founders on
Representative Government
John Adams
Thoughts on Government, 1776
As good government is an empire of laws, how shall your laws be made? In a large society, inhabiting
James Madison
Federalist 10, 1787
Pure democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incomp
Thomas Jefferson
Letter to David Hartley, 1787
I have no fear that the result of our experiment will be that men may be trusted to govern themselve
James Madison
Federalist 39, 1788
We may define a republic to be … a government which derives all its powers directly or indirectly fr
The Founders on
"All Men are Created Equal"
Benjamin Franklin
Emblematical Representations, ca. 1774
The ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another
Declaration of Independence
1776
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by th
George Washington
Letter to Robert Morris, 1786
I can only say that there is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan ado
John Jay
Letter to R. Lushington, 1786
It is much to be wished that slavery may be abolished. The honour of the States, as well as justice
The Founders on
"Private Property
James Otis
Writs of Assistance, 1761
One of the most essential branches of English liberty is the freedom of one’s house. A man’s house i
John Adams
A Defence of the Constitutions of the Government of the United States of America, 1787
The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and
James Madison
Essay on Property, 1792
Government is instituted to protect property of every sort; as well that which lies in the various r
Thomas Jefferosn
First Inaugural Address, 1801
A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry