" The Spirit of the Times May Alter, Will Alter. Our Rulers Will Become Corrupt, Our 

People Careless. A Single Zealot May Commence Persecution, and Better Men Be His 

Victims. It Can Never Be Too Often Repeated, That The Time for Fixing Every Essential 

Right on a Legal Basis is while Our Rulers are Honest and Ourselves United. From the 

Conclusion of this War (Revolutionary War) We Shall be Going Downhill. It will Not Then 

be Necessary to Resort Every Moment to the People for Support. They will be Forgotten, 

Therefore, and Their Rights Disregarded. They will Forget Themselves, But in the Sole 

Faculty of Making Money, and Will Never Think of Uniting to Effect a Due Respect for 

Their Rights. The Shackles, Therefore, Which shall not be Knocked Off at the Conclusion 

of this War, Will Remain On Us Long, Will be Made Heavier and Heavier, Till Our Rights 

Shall Revive or Expire In A Convulsion. " 


  Thomas Jefferson