478. ARISTOCRACY, Uprooting.—
At
the first session of our Legislature after the
Declaration of Independence, we passed a
law abolishing entails. And this was followed
by one abolishing the privilege of primogeniture,
and dividing the lands of intestates
equally among all the children, or other
representatives. These laws, drawn by myself,
laid the axe to the root of pseudo-aristocracy.
And had another which I had prepared been
adopted by the Legislature, our work would
have been complete. It was a bill for the more
general diffusion of learning.—
To John Adams. Washington ed. vi, 225.
Ford ed., ix, 427.
(M.
1813)
