Acquit Yourselves like Men

"Banish unmanly fear, acquit yourselves like men, and with firm confidence trust the event with that Almighty and benevolent Being who hath commanded you to hold fast the liberty with which he has made you free; and who is able as well as willing to support you in performing his orders."

John Jay

"My affections are deeply rooted in America, and are of too long standing to admit of transplantation. In short, my friend, I can never become so far a citizen of the world as to view every part of it with equal regard; and perhaps nature is wiser in tying our hearts to our native soil, than they are who think they divest themselves of foibles in proportion as they wear away those bonds."

John Jay

Hold Fast Liberty

"Banish unmanly fear, acquit yourselves like men, and with firm confidence trust the event with that Almighty and benevolent Being who hath commanded you to hold fast the liberty with which he has made you free; and who is able as well as willing to support you in performing his orders."

John Jay
To the General Committee of Tyron County; 1777

Power of Consent

"No power on earth has a right to take our property from us without our consent."

John Jay

"Every member of the State ought diligently to read and to study the Constitution of his country. ... By knowing their rights, they will sooner perceive when they are violated and be the better prepared to defend and assert them."

John Jay