Christian Principles

"We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind of self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." ~James Madison (attributed)

Truth

"Truth will do well enough if left to shift for herself. She seldom has received much aid from the power of great men to whom she is rarely known & seldom welcome. She has no need of force to procure entrance into the minds of men. Error indeed has often prevailed by the assistance of power or force. Truth is the proper & sufficient antagonist to error." ~ Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Religion (October 1776)

The Ruins of Liberty

"Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness." ~George Washington

The Cause of All Mankind

"It is a common observation here that our cause is the cause of all mankind, and that we are fighting for their liberty in defending our own." ~Benjamin Franklin

Undelegated Powers

"Whenever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force." ~Thomas Jefferson: Kentucky Resolutions, 1798.

A Good Crisis...

"Crisis, the old trick of turning every contingency into a resource for accumulating force in the government." ~James Madison

Danger

"There is a danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with the power to endanger the public liberty." ~John Adams

Freedom's Pillars

"Freedom of speech is a principle pillar of a free government; when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins." ~Benjamin Franklin

Loyalties

"The individual owes the exercise of all his faculties to the service of his country." ~John Quincy Adams; letter to Francis Gray, 1818