6961. PRINCIPLES, Independence and.—
The contest which began with us, which
ushered in the dawn of our national existence
and led us through various and trying scenes,
was for everything dear to free-born man.
The principles on which we engaged, of
which the charter of our independence is the
record, were sanctioned by the laws of our
being, and we but obeyed them in pursuing
undeviatingly the course they called for. It
issued finally in that inestimable state of freedom
which alone can ensure to man the enjoyment
of his equal rights.—
R. to A. Georgetown Republicans. Washington ed. viii, 159.
(1809)
