Natural Rights Quotes
Jefferson had just won a bitter, partisan election, and this was his attempt to reach out to the Federalist minority whose newspapers had been predicting that a Jefferson victory would bring a tyranny of the majority.
This famous Jefferson quotation is often used by those who argue that Jefferson’s concept of freedom and liberty was inherently and necessarily connected to the concept of God despite his strong and passionate writings advocating the separation of church and state. Opponents of that point of view, argue that the Rights of British America was a political document written to enlist and increase public support for Jefferson’s notions of freedom and liberty. At the time, as today, most Americans were deists, and they argue that just because Jefferson appealed to the popular perception of the day to promote his ideas, does not mean that a supreme being was fundamental to Jefferson’s philosophy. It is probably the case however, that Jefferson, like other founders such as John Adams, and many modern people, had different views on this subject at different times in their lives and never were absolutely sure of the existence of or necessity of a supreme being.
Character Franklin invented early in his career
Actually Adams had used the phrase in 1774 writing in the Massachusetts Gazette under the pseudonym Novanglus. See James Harrington related quotes for an earlier similar expression for which Adams is sometimes credited.
1st Earl of Chatham. The Continental Congress had endorsed and sent to England a set of resolutions from Suffolk County, Massachusetts, drawn up by Joseph Warren. Legislators forever since have admired the logic and presentation of the case for America. The King and the Prime Minister failed to heed Pitt’s view, and the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution followed.
This quotation is probably the beginning of the false charge that liberalism always rejects God and divine law. Most liberals, since the term has been used, have been religious and even those who were not did not see liberalism as necessarily antithetical towards religion. However, most doctrines of liberality had toleration and religious freedom as part of its foundation. To authoritarian religious leaders who did not believe in toleration (see {609037}) the very toleration of dissenters is tantamount to dissent. Today, for example, many liberals tolerate atheists and non Christian religions even though most are Christians themselves. To some narrow conservatives, this principle of toleration is therefore equivalent to being against religion. To others, modern liberal belief of separation of church and state is seen as anti religious.
This was one of the favorite quotations of Thomas Jefferson who copied it into his Commonplace Book.
At the time “race” was used in its modern meaning and to denote nationality or even ethnicity.
“Magistrates” at the time were rulers and heads of government and state. There was little or no separation of powers and the chief magistrate could make edicts and laws, enforce them and be the judge and jury as well. In the United States, the President is also called the “Chief Magistrate” even though his powers are only within the Executive Branch. For us today, “Magistrate” usually refers to a judge or other official of the Judicial Branch.
Although written in 1770, it was not formally published and available until 1774
