"The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government."
Thomas Jefferson to the Citizens of Washington County, Maryland, March 3rd, 1809.

[ Back to top ]

John Adams

"We electors have an important constitutional power placed in our hands: we have a check upon two branches of the legislature, as each branch has upon the other two; the power I mean of electing at stated periods, one branch, which branch has the power of electing another. It becomes necessary to every subject then, to be in some degree a statesman: and to examine and judge for himself of the tendencies of political principles and measures."

— [John Adams, The Papers of John Adams, Robert J. Taylor, written on August 29, 1763.]