Political history - The Rights of The Citizens, historical sayings and writings of some of our founding fathers. Presented by TTC Media, GVLN and WTLN

1. Political History, The Rights of The Citizenry;
What It Means For Today
By; Chuck Thompson of TTC Media
http://www.GloucesterCounty-VA.com
John Adams, 1765
Let the bar proclaim, “the laws, the rights, the generous plan of power” delivered from remote
antiquity, inform the world of the mighty struggles and numberless sacrifices made by our ancestors in
defense of freedom.
Let it be known that British liberties are not the grants of princes or parliaments but original rights,
conditions of original contracts, coequal with prerogative, (exemption, immunity), and coeval with
government;, (coeval – contemporary, existing, occurring at the same time), that many of our rights are
inherent and essential. Let them search for foundations of laws and government in the frame of human
nature, in the constitution of the intellectual and moral world.
There let us see the truth, liberty, justice, and benevolence are it's everlasting basis; and if these could
be removed, the superstructure is overthrown of course.
Thomas Jefferson, 1803
Our peculiar security is in the possession of a written Constitution. Let us not make it a blank paper by
construction. I say the same as the opinion of those who consider the grant of the treaty-making power
as boundless. If it is, then we have no constitution. If it has bounds, they can be no others than the
definitions of the powers which that instrument gives.
Henry D Thoreau, 1849
There will never be a really free and enlightened State until State comes to recognize the individual as a
higher and independent power, from which all it's own power and authority are derived, and treats him
accordingly.
If we are to plan for our future, we must first look at our past and ask questions of our present. Have
we strayed from the original path?