Essential QuotesAbraham Lincoln's “House Divided” Speech
“‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.'” (Paragraph 5) “I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.” (Paragraph 6) “We shall lie down pleasantly dreaming that the people of Missouri are on the verge of making their State free; and we shall awake to the reality, instead, that the Supreme Court has made Illinois a slave
State.” (Paragraph 58) “They remind us that he is a very great man, and that the largest of us are very small ones. Let this be granted. But, ‘a living dog is better than a dead lion.'” (Paragraph 63) “How can he oppose the advances of slavery? He don't care anything about it.” (Paragraph 63) Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address
“I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.” (Paragraph 4) “A disruption of the Federal Union, heretofore only menaced, is now formidably attempted.” (Paragraph 14) “In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war.” (Paragraph 37) “The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” (Paragraph 38) Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
“Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully.” (Paragraph 3) “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.” (Paragraph 4) Act Establishing Yellowstone National Park
“That the tract of land in the Territories of Montana and Wyoming, lying near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River . . . is hereby reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, or sale . . . and set apart as a public park or pleasuring-ground.” (Paragraph 1) “Such regulations shall provide for the preservation, from injury or spoliation, of all timber, mineral deposits, natural curiosities, or wonders within said park, and their retention in their natural condition.” (Paragraph 2) Act to Prohibit the Importation of Slaves
“From and after the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and eight, it shall not be lawful to import or bring into the United States or the territories thereof from any foreign kingdom, place, or country, any negro, mulatto, or person of colour, with intent to hold, sell, or dispose of such negro, mulatto, or person of colour, as a slave, or to be held to service or labour.” (Section 1) “I congratulate you, fellow-citizens, on the approach of the period at which you may interpose your authority constitutionally to withdraw the citizens of the United States from all further participation in those violations of human rights which have been so long continued on the unoffending inhabitants of Africa, and which the morality, the reputation, and the best interests of our country have long been eager to proscribe. Although no law you pass can take prohibitory effect till the first day of the year 1808, yet the intervening period is not too long to prevent by timely notice expeditions which can not be completed before that day.” (Thomas Jefferson, Sixth Annual Message to Congress, 1806) Alien and Sedition Acts
“It shall be lawful for the President of the United States at any time during the continuance of this act, to order all such aliens as he shall judge dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States, or shall have reasonable grounds to suspect are concerned in any treasonable or secret machinations against the government thereof, to depart out of the territory of the United States.” (Act Concerning Aliens, Section 1) “Whenever there shall be a declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or government, or any invasion or predatory incursion shall be perpetrated, attempted, or threatened against the territory of the United States, by any foreign nation or government, and the President of the United States shall make public proclamation of the event, all natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects of the hostile nation or government, being males of the age of fourteen years and upwards, who shall be within the United States, and not actually naturalized, shall be liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured and removed, as alien enemies.” (Act Respecting Alien Enemies, Section 1) “If any person shall write, print, utter or publish . . . any false, scandalous and malicious writing or writings against the government of the United States, or either house of the Congress of the United States, or the President of the United States, with intent to defame the said government, or either house of the said Congress, or the said President, . . . then such person, being thereof convicted before any court of the United States having jurisdiction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars, and by imprisonment not exceeding two years.” (An Act for the Punishment of Certain Crimes against the United States, Section 2) Andrew Jackson's Veto Message Regarding the Second Bank of the United States
“I sincerely regret that in the act before me I can perceive none of those modifications of the bank charter which are necessary, in my opinion, to make it compatible with justice, with sound policy, or with the Constitution of our country.” (Paragraph 2) “It is maintained by the advocates of the bank that its constitutionality in all its features ought to be considered as settled by precedent and by the decision of the Supreme Court. To this conclusion I can not assent. Mere precedent is a dangerous source of authority, and should not be regarded as deciding questions of constitutional power except where the acquiescence of the people and the States can be considered as well settled.” (Paragraph 20) “The Congress, the Executive, and the Court must each for itself be guided by its own opinion of the Constitution. Each public officer who takes an oath to support the Constitution swears that he will support it as he understands it, and not as it is understood by others. . . . The opinion of the judges has no more authority over Congress than the opinion of Congress has over the judges, and on that point the President is independent of both.” (Paragraph 21) “Distinctions in society will always exist under every just government. Equality of talents, of education, or of wealth can not be produced by human institutions. . . . But when the laws undertake to add to these natural and just advantages artificial distinctions, to grant titles, gratuities, and exclusive privileges, to make the rich richer and the potent more powerful, the humble members of society—the farmers, mechanics, and labors—who have neither the time nor the means of securing like favors to themselves, have a right to complain of the injustice of their Government.” (Paragraph 44) “Nor is our Government to be maintained or our Union preserved by invasions of the rights and powers of the several States. In thus attempting to make our General Government strong we make it weak.' (Paragraph 45) Andrew Jackson: On Indian Removal
“[Removal] will separate the Indians from immediate contact with settlements of whites; free them from the power of the States; enable them to pursue happiness in their own way and under their own rude institutions; will retard the progress of decay, which is lessening their numbers, and perhaps cause them gradually, under the protection of the Government and through the influence of good counsels, to cast off their savage habits and become an interesting, civilized, and Christian community.” (Paragraph 2) “What good man would prefer a country covered with forests and ranged by a few thousand savages to our extensive Republic, studded with cities, towns, and prosperous farms embellished with all the improvements which art can devise or industry execute, occupied by more than 12,000,000 happy people, and filled with all the blessings of liberty, civilization and religion?” (Paragraph 3) “The present policy of the Government is but a continuation of the same progressive change by a milder process.” (Paragraph 4) “Doubtless it will be painful to leave the graves of their fathers; but what do they more than our ancestors did or than our children are now doing?” (Paragraph 4) “Rightly considered, the policy of the General Government toward the red man is not only liberal, but generous. He is unwilling to submit to the laws of the States and mingle with their population. To save him from this alternative, or perhaps utter annihilation, the General Government kindly offers him a new home, and proposes to pay the whole expense of his removal and settlement.” (Paragraph 5) Articles of Agreement Relating to the Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia
“The troops shall march by Brigades and Detachments to a designated point, stock their Arms, deposit their flags, Sabres, Pistols, etc. and from thence march to their homes under charge of their Officers.” (Article 1, Articles of Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia) “There is but one condition I would insist upon, namely: that the men and officers surrendered shall be disqualified for taking up arms again against the Government of the United States.” (Ulysses S. Grant to Robert E. Lee, April 8, 1865; Hendrickson, p. 177) “By the South laying down their arms they will hasten that most desirable event, save thousands of human lives and hundreds of millions of property not yet destroyed.” (Ulysses S. Grant to Robert E. Lee, April 9, 1865; Hendrickson, p. 180) Articles of Confederation
“The said States hereby enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense whatever.” (Article III) “If any person guilty of, or charged with, treason, felony, or other high misdemeanor in any State, shall flee from justice, and be found in any of the United States, he shall, upon demand of the Governor or executive power of the State from which he fled, be delivered up and removed to the State having jurisdiction of his offense.” (Article IV) “Freedom of speech and debate in Congress shall not be impeached or questioned in any court of place out of Congress, and the members of Congress shall be protected in their persons from arrests or imprisonments, during the time of their going to and from, and attendance on Congress, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace.” (Article V) “When land forces are raised by any State for the common defense, all officers of or under the rank of colonel, shall be appointed by the legislature of each State respectively, by whom such forces shall be raised, or in such manner as such State shall direct, and all vacancies shall be filled up by the State which first made the appointment.” (Article VII) “And we do further solemnly plight and engage the faith of our respective constituents, that they shall abide by the determination of the United States in Congress assembled, on all questions, which by the said Confederation are submitted to them. And that the Articles thereof shall be inviolably observed by the States we respectively represent, and that the Union shall be perpetual.” (Article XIII) Articles of Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
“That said Andrew Johnson . . . unmindful of the high duties of his office and
the dignity and proprieties thereof, and of the harmony and courtesies which ought to exist
and be maintained between the executive and legislative branches . . . did attempt to bring
into disgrace, ridicule, hatred, contempt and reproach the Congress of the United
States.” (Article X)
“Johnson as the Chief Magistrate of the United States, did make and declare, with
a loud voice certain intemperate, inflammatory, and scandalous harangues, and therein utter
loud threats and bitter menaces, as well against Congress.” (Article X)
“Never was a great malefactor so gently treated as Andrew Johnson.” (Thaddeus Stevens’s speech on impeachment to the House of Representatives,
Harper's Weekly, March 21, 1868)
“A man is not proved a villain because his views appear to be short-sighted and
perilous.” (Editorial, Harper's Weekly, June 2, 1866)
Articles of Impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton
“William Jefferson Clinton willfully provided perjurious, false and misleading testimony to the grand jury.” (Article
I) “William Jefferson Clinton has undermined the integrity of his office, has brought disrepute on the Presidency, has betrayed his trust as President, and has
acted in a manner subversive of the rule of law and justice, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.” (Article I) “In his conduct while President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of
President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to
take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has prevented, obstructed, and impeded the administration of justice, and has to that end engaged personally, and through his
subordinates and agents, in a course of conduct or scheme designed to delay, impede, cover up, and conceal the existence of evidence and testimony related to a Federal civil rights
action brought against him in a duly instituted judicial proceeding.” (Article II) “William Jefferson Clinton, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of
honor, trust, or profit under the United States.” (Article II) Bill Clinton's Radio Address on the Welfare Reform Act
“This law dramatically changes the Nation's welfare system so that no longer will it fail our people, trap so many families in a cycle of dependency, but
instead will now help people to move from welfare to work.” (Paragraph 2) “I came to office determined to end welfare as we know it, to replace welfare checks with paychecks.” (Paragraph 4) “The door has now been opened to a new era of freedom and independence. And now it's up to us, to all of us, to help all the people who need it through
that door, one family at a time.” (Paragraph 12) Bill of Rights
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (First Amendment) “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” (Second Amendment) “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” (Ninth Amendment) “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” (Tenth Amendment) Black Code of Mississippi
“Every freedman, free negro and mulatto shall, on the second Monday of January, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, and annually thereafter, have a lawful home or employment, and shall have written evidence thereof.” (Section 5, An Act to Confer Civil Rights on Freedmen, and for Other Purposes) “All rouges and vagabonds, idle and dissipated persons, beggars, jugglers, or persons practicing unlawful games or plays, runaways, common drunkards, common night-walkers, pilferers, lewd, wanton, or lascivious persons, in speech or behavior, common railers and brawlers, persons who neglect their calling or employment, misspend what they earn, or do not provide for the support of themselves or their families, or dependents, and all other idle and disorderly persons, including all who neglect all lawful business, habitually misspend their time by frequenting houses of ill-fame, gaming-houses, or tippling shops, shall be deemed and considered vagrants.” (Section 1, An Act to Amend the Vagrant Laws of the State) Booker T. Washington's Atlanta Exposition Address
“‘Cast down your bucket where you are.’ Cast it down among the eight millions of Negroes whose habits you know, whose fidelity and love you have tested in days when to have proved treacherous meant the ruin of your firesides.” (Paragraph 5) “In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.” (Paragraph 5) “We shall contribute one-third to the business and industrial prosperity of the South, or we shall prove a veritable body of death, stagnating, depressing, retarding every effort to advance the body politic.” (Paragraph 8) “The wisest among my race understand that the agitation of questions of social equality is the extremest folly, and that progress in the enjoyment of all the privileges that will come to us must be the result of severe and constant struggle rather than of artificial forcing.” (Paragraph 10) “No race that has anything to contribute to the markets of the world is long in any degree ostracized.” (Paragraph 10) “The opportunity to earn a dollar in a factory just now is worth infinitely more than the opportunity to spend a dollar in an opera-house.” (Paragraph 10) Boston Non-Importation Agreement
“We will not send for or import from Great Britain, either upon our own account, or upon commission, this fall, any other goods than what are already ordered for the fall supply.” (Paragraph 2) “We will not, from and after the 1st of January 1769, import into this province any tea, paper, glass, or painters colours, until the act imposing duties on those articles shall be repealed.” (Paragraph 6) “If we can find no relief from this infamous situation . . . we may bow down our necks, with all the stupid serenity of servitude, to any drudgery, which our lords and masters shall please to command.” (John Dickinson, qtd. in Knollenberg, p. 52) Brown v. Board of Education
“In approaching this problem, we cannot turn the clock back to 1868, when the Amendment was adopted, or even to 1896, when Plessy v. Ferguson was written.” (Chief Justice Earl Warren, Majority Opinion) “Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments.” (Chief Justice Earl Warren, Majority Opinion) “Such an opportunity where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.” (Chief Justice Earl Warren, Majority Opinion) “To separate them from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone.” (Chief Justice Earl Warren, Majority Opinion) “Whatever may have been the extent of psychological knowledge at the time of Plessy v. Ferguson, this finding is amply supported by modern authority.” (Chief Justice Earl Warren, Majority Opinion) “We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” (Chief Justice Earl Warren, Majority Opinion) Bush v. Gore
“Our consideration is limited to the present circumstances, for the problem of equal protection in election processes generally presents many
complexities.” (Per Curiam Ruling) “We deal here not with an ordinary election, but with an election for the President of the United States. . . . In most cases, comity and respect for
federalism compel us to defer to the decisions of state courts on issues of state law. That practice reflects our understanding that the decisions of state courts are definitive
pronouncements of the will of the States as sovereigns. . . . But there are a few exceptional cases in which the Constitution imposes a duty or confers a power on a particular
branch of a State's government.This is one of them.” (Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Concurrence) “In this highly politicized matter, the appearance of a split decision runs the risk of undermining the public's confidence in the Court itself. . . . We
run no risk of returning to the days when a President (responding to this Court's efforts to protect the Cherokee Indians) might have said, ‘John Marshall has made his
decision; now let him enforce it!'. . . But we do risk a self-inflicted wound—a wound that may harm not just the Court, but the Nation.” (Justice
Stephen Breyer, Dissent) “Time will one day heal the wound to that confidence that will be inflicted by today's decision. One thing, however, is certain. Although we may never
know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year's Presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the Nation's confidence
in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law.” (Justice John Paul Stevens, Dissent) Bybee Torture Memo
“Physical pain amounting to torture must be equivalent in intensity to the pain accompanying serious physical injury, such as organ failure, impairment of
bodily function, or even death.” (Introduction) “For purely mental pain or suffering to amount to torture under Section 2340, it must result in significant psychological harm of significant duration, e.g.,
lasting for months or even years.” (Introduction) “As Commander-in-Chief, the President has the constitutional authority to order interrogations of enemy combatants to gain intelligence information concerning
the military plans of the enemy.” (Part IV) César Chávez's Commonwealth Address
“All my life, I have been driven by one dream, one goal, one vision: To overthrow a farm labor system in this nation which treats farm workers as if they were
not important human beings.” (Paragraph 12) “Our union will forever exist as an empowering force among Chicanos in the Southwest. And that means our power and our influence will grow and not
diminish.” (Paragraph 49) Chinese Exclusion Act
“Whereas in the opinion of the Government of the United States the coming of Chinese laborers to this country endangers the good order of certain localities within the territory thereof.” (Opening Section) “That from and after the expiration of ninety days next after the passage of this act, and until the expiration of ten years next after the passage of this act, the coming of Chinese laborers to the United States be, and the same is hereby, suspended; and during such suspension it shall not be lawful for any Chinese laborer to come, or having so come after the expiration of said ninety days to remain within the United States.” (Opening Section) “That hereafter no State court or court of the United States shall admit Chinese to citizenship; and all laws in conflict with this act are hereby repealed.” (Section 14) Civil Rights Act of 1866
“That all persons born in the United States and not subject to any foreign power, excluding Indians not taxed, are hereby declared to be citizens of the United States.” (Section 1) “Such citizens, of every race and color, without regard to any previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude . . . shall have the same right, in every State and Territory in the United States . . . to full and equal benefit of all laws and proceedings for the security of person and property, as is enjoyed by white citizens.” (Section 1) “That any person who, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, shall subject, or cause to be subjected, any inhabitant of any State or Territory to the deprivation of any right secured or protected by this act, or to different punishment, pains, or penalties . . . than is prescribed for the punishment of white persons, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.” (Section 2) “That it shall be lawful for the President of the United States, or such person as he may empower for that purpose, to employ such part of the land or naval forces of the United States, or of the militia, as shall be necessary to prevent the violation and enforce the due execution of this act.” (Section 9) Civil Rights Act of 1964
“An Act: To enforce the constitutional right to vote, to confer jurisdiction upon the district courts of the United States to provide injunctive relief
against discrimination in public accommodations, to authorize the Attorney General to institute suits to protect constitutional rights in public facilities and public education, to
extend the Commission on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs, to establish a Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity, and for other
purposes.” (Introduction) “All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, and privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place
of public accommodation, as defined in this section, without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin.” (Section
201) “Each of the following establishments which serves the public is a place of public accommodation within the meaning of this title if its operations affect
commerce, or if discrimination or segregation by it is supported by State action: (1) any inn, hotel, motel, or other establishment which provides lodging to transient guests. . .
; (2) any restaurant, cafeteria, lunchroom, lunch counter, soda fountain, or other facility principally engaged in selling food for consumption on the premises, including, but not
limited to, any such facility located on the premises of any retail establishment; or any gasoline station; (3) any motion picture house, theater, concert hall, sports arena,
stadium or other place of exhibition or entertainment; and (4) any establishment (A)(i) which is physically located within the premises of any establishment otherwise covered by
this subsection, or (ii) within the premises of which is physically located any such covered establishment, and (B) which holds itself out as serving patrons of such covered
establishment.” (Section 201) “It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer—(1) to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate
against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual's race, color, religion, sex, or national
origin; or (2) to limit, segregate, or classify his employees in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely
affect his status as an employee, because of such individual's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” (Section 703[a]) Common Sense “The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind.” (Introduction) “Nature disapproves [hereditary monarchy], otherwise she would not so frequently turn it into ridicule, by giving mankind an ass for a lion.” (Of Monarchy and Hereditary Succession, Paragraph 11) “I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense.” (Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs, Paragraph 1) “There is something very absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island.” (Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs, Paragraph 29) “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” (Appendix to the Third Edition, Paragraph 15) Compromise of 1850
“It being desirable, for the peace, concord, and harmony of the Union of these States, to settle and adjust amicably all existing questions of controversy between them arising out of the institution of slavery upon a fair, equitable and just basis.” (Henry Clay's Resolutions, Preamble) “Secession! Peaceable secession! Sir, your eyes and mine are never destined to see the miracle. The dismemberment of this vast country without convulsion! The breaking up of the fountains of the great deep without ruffling the surface! Who is so foolish—I beg everybody's pardon—as to expect to see any such thing?” (Daniel Webster, in Senate speech of March 7, 1850; Tefft, p. 530) “The Constitution regulates our stewardship; the Constitution devotes the domain to union, to justice, to defense, to welfare, and to liberty. But there is a higher law than the Constitution, which regulates our authority over the domain, and devotes it to the same noble purposes.” (William H. Seward, in Senate speech of March 11, 1850; Seward, p. 126) “Let us go to the fountains of unadulterated patriotism, and, performing a solemn lustration, return divested of all selfish, sinister, and sordid impurities, and think alone of our God, our country, our conscience, and our glorious Union.” (Henry Clay, in Senate speech of July 22, 1850; Schurz, p. 356) “In no trial or hearing under this act shall the testimony of such alleged fugitive be admitted as evidence.” (Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, Section 6) Constitution of the United States
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” (Preamble) “The Congress shall have the Power . . . to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes.” (Article I, Section 8) “The Congress shall have the Power . . . to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.” (Article I, Section 8) “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government.” (Article IV, Section 4) “This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.” (Article VI) Dawes Severalty Act
“An Act to provide for the allotment of lands in severalty to Indians on the various reservations, and to extend the protection of the laws of the United States and the Territories over the Indians, and for other purposes.” (Section 1) “That upon the approval of the allotments provided for in this act by the Secretary of the Interior, he shall cause patents to issue therefor in the name of allottees . . . and declare that the United States does and will hold the land thus allotted, for the period of twenty-five years, in trust for the sole use and benefit of the Indian to whom such allotment shall have been made, or, in case of his decease, of his heirs.” (Section 5) “And provided further, That at any time after lands have been allotted to all the Indians of any tribe . . . it shall be lawful for the Secretary of the Interior to negotiate . . . for the purchase and release . . . of such portions of its reservation not allotted as such tribe shall . . . consent to sell, on such terms and conditions as shall be considered just and equitable between the United States and said tribe of Indians.” (Section 5) “And every Indian born within the territorial limits of the United States to whom allotments shall have been made under the provisions of this act . . . and every Indian . . . who has voluntarily taken up . . . his residence separate and apart from any tribe of Indians therein . . . is hereby declared to be a citizen of the United States, and is entitled to all the rights, privileges, and immunities of such citizens.” (Section 6) Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
“The good people of the several colonies . . . justly alarmed at these arbitrary proceedings of parliament and administration, have severally elected, constituted, and appointed deputies to meet, and sit in general Congress, in the city of Philadelphia, in order to obtain such establishment, as that their religion, laws, and liberties, may not be subverted.” (Paragraph 5) “That the inhabitants of the English colonies in North-America, by the immutable laws of nature, the principles of the English constitution, and the several charters or compacts, have the following RIGHTS.” (Paragraph 6) “They are entitled to life, liberty and property: and they have never ceded to any foreign power whatever, a right to dispose of either without their consent.” (Paragraph 7) “The foundation of English liberty, and of all free government, is a right in the people to participate in their legislative council: and as the English colonists are not represented, and from their local and other circumstances, cannot properly be represented in the British parliament, they are entitled to a free and exclusive power of legislation in their several provincial legislatures where their right of representation can alone be preserved, in all cases of taxation and internal polity, subject only to the negative of their sovereign, in such manner as has been heretofore used and accustomed.” (Paragraph 10) “They have a right peaceably to assemble, consider of their grievances, and petition the king.” (Paragraph 14) Declaration of Independence
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” (Introduction) “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” (Preamble) “Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.” (Preamble) “We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States.” (Conclusion) Declaration of Rights of the Stamp Act Congress
“That His Majesty's liege subjects in these colonies, are entitled to all the inherent rights and liberties of his natural born subjects within the kingdom of Great-Britain.” (Second Resolution) “That it is inseparably essential to the freedom of a people, and the undoubted right of Englishmen, that no taxes be imposed on them, but with their own consent, given personally, or by their representatives.” (Third Resolution) “That the only representatives of the people of these colonies, are persons chosen therein by themselves, and that no taxes ever have been, or can be constitutionally imposed on them, but by their respective legislatures.” (Fifth Resolution) “That the late Act of Parliament . . . for granting and applying certain Stamp Duties . . .have a manifest tendency to subvert the rights and liberties of the colonists.” (Eighth Resolution) “[He] hoped that the power and sovereignty of Parliament, over every part of the British dominions, for the purpose of raising or collecting any tax, would never be disputed.” (George Grenville, qtd. in Morgan, p. 76) “It is my opinion that this kingdom has no right to lay a tax upon the colonies. . . . Taxation is no part of the governing or legislative power.” (William Pitt, qtd. in Morgan, p. 342) “The general execution of the stamp-act would be impracticable, without occasioning more mischief than it was worth, by totally alienating the affections of the Americans, and thereby lessening their commerce.” (Benjamin Franklin to his son, William, November 9, 1765; qtd. in Vaughan, p. 21) Dred Scott v. Sandford
“No one, we presume, supposes that any change in public opinion or feeling, in relation to this unfortunate race, in the civilized nations of Europe or in this country, should induce the court to give to the words of the Constitution a more liberal construction in their favor than they were intended to bear when the instrument was framed and adopted..” (Chief Justice Roger Taney, Majority Opinion) “They [African Americans] are not included, and were not intended to be included, under the word ‘citizens' in the Constitution, and can therefore claim none of the rights and privileges which that instrument provides for and secures to citizens of the United States. On the contrary, they were at that time [1787] considered as a subordinate and inferior class of beings, who had been subjugated by the dominant race, and, whether emancipated or not, yet remained subject to their authority, and had no rights or privileges but such as those who held the power and the Government might choose to grant them.” (Chief JusticeRoger Taney, Majority Opinion) “The right of property in a slave is distinctly and expressly affirmed in the Constitution. The right to traffic in it, like an ordinary article of merchandise and property, was guarantied to the citizens of the United States, in every State that might desire it, for twenty years. And the Government in express terms is pledged to protect it in all future time, if the slave escapes from his owner.” (Chief Justice Roger Taney, Majority Opinion) “At the time of the ratification of the Articles of Confederation, all free native-born inhabitants of the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina, though descended from African slaves, were not only citizens of those States, but such of them as had the other necessary qualifications possessed the franchise of electors, on equal terms with other citizens.” (Justice Benjamin R. Curtis, Dissenting Opinion) Dwight D. Eisenhower's Farewell Address
“Throughout America's adventure in free government, our basic purposes have been to keep the peace; to foster progress in human achievement, and to
enhance liberty, dignity and integrity among people and among nations.” (Section 3, Paragraph 1) “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial
complex.” (Section 4, Paragraph 5) “Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and
goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.” (Section 4, Paragraph 6) “We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage.” (Section 5, Paragraph 1) “Together we must learn how to compose difference, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose.” (Section 6, Paragraph
3) Dwight D. Eisenhower's Order of the Day
“You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you.” (Paragraph 1) “Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.” (Sentences following Paragraph 1) “The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!” (Paragraph 2) “I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!” (Paragraph 4) Emancipation Proclamation
“That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” (Paragraph 2) “And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defence; and I recommend to them that, in all cases when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.” (Paragraph 7) “And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.” (Paragraph 10) Equal Rights Amendment
“Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction.” (Original
ERA) “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or (Revised ERA, Section 1) “The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.” (Revised ERA, Section
2) “This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of (Revised
ERA, Section 3) Executive Order 10730
“I hereby authorize and direct the Secretary of Defense to order into active military service of the United States as he may deem appropriate to carry out the
purposes of this Order, any or all units of the National Guard of the United States and of the Air National Guard of the United States within the State of Arkansas to serve in the
active military service of the United States for an indefinite period and until relieved by appropriate orders.” (Paragraph 8) “The Secretary of Defense is authorized and directed to take all appropriate steps to enforce any orders of the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Arkansas for the removal of obstruction of justice in the State of Arkansas with respect to matters relating to enrollment and attendance at public schools in the
Little Rock School District, Little Rock, Arkansas.” (Paragraph 9) “In furtherance of the enforcement of the aforementioned orders of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, the Secretary of
Defense is authorized to use such of the armed forces of the United States as he may deem necessary.” (Paragraph 10) Executive Order 10924
“The Secretary of State shall establish an agency in the Department of State which shall be known as the Peace Corps.” (Section
1) “The Peace Corps shall be responsible for the training and service abroad of men and women of the United States in new programs of assistance to nations and
areas of the world.” (Section 2) “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. . . . Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the
world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you.” (“Inaugural Address of John F. Kennedy,”
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/presiden/inaug/kennedy.htm) “Our role is essential and unavoidable in the construction of a sound and expanding economy for the entire non-communist world, helping other nations build
the strength to meet their own problems. . . . The problems in achieving this goal are towering and unprecedented—the response must be towering and unprecedented as well, much as
Lend-Lease and the Marshall Plan were in earlier years, which brought such fruitful results.” (“Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union: January 30,
1961,” http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=8045) “To help the peoples of such countries and areas in meeting their needs for trained manpower . . . and to help promote a better understanding of the American
people on the part of the peoples served and a better understanding of other peoples on the part of the American people.” (“MS 101: The Peace Corps
Act,” http://www.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/policies/ms101.pdf) Executive Order 8802
“It is the policy of the United States to encourage full participation in the national defense program by all citizens of the United States, regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin.” (Paragraph 1) “There shall be no discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries or government because of race, creed, color, or national origin.” (Paragraph 3) “The Committee [on Fair Employment Practice] shall receive and investigate complaints of discrimination in violation of the provisions of this order and shall take appropriate steps to redress grievances which it finds to be valid.” (Paragraph 6) Executive Order 9066
“The successful prosecution of the war requires every possible protection against espionage and against sabotage to national-defense material, national-defense premises, and national-defense utilities.” (Paragraph 1) “As President of the United States, and Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, I hereby authorize and direct the Secretary of War, and the Military Commanders whom he may from time to time designate . . . to prescribe military areas . . . from which any or all persons may be excluded.” (Paragraph 2) “The Secretary of War is hereby authorized to provide for residents of any such area who are excluded therefrom, such transportation, food, shelter, and other accommodations as may be necessary . . . to accomplish the purpose of this order.” (Paragraph 2) “Because of the ties of race, the intense feeling of filial piety and the strong bonds of common tradition, culture and customs, this population presented a tightly-knit racial group. . . . Whether by design or accident, virtually always their communities were adjacent to very vital shore installations, war plants, etc. While it is believed that some were loyal, it was known that many were not. It was impossible to establish the identity of the loyal and the disloyal with any degree of safety.” (http://www.sfmuseum.org/war/dewitt1.html) “Careful review of the facts by the Commission has not revealed any security or military threat from the West Coast ethnic Japanese in 1942. The record does not support that military necessity justified the exclusion of the ethnic Japanese from the West Coast, with the consequent loss of property and personal liberty.” (Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, pp. 457–458) Executive Order 9981
“It is essential that there be maintained in the armed services of the United States the highest standards of democracy, with equality of treatment and opportunity for all those who serve in our country's defense.” (Introductory Paragraph) “It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin.” (Item 1) Federal-Aid Highway Act
“It is hereby declared essential to the national interest to provide for the early completion, of the ‘National System of Interstate Highways,' as authorized and designated in accordance with section 7 of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944.” (Section 108) “The Federal share payable on account of any project on the Interstate System provided for by finds made available under the provisions of this section shall be increased 90 per centum of the total cost thereof.” (Section 108) “It is hereby declared to be in the national interest to accelerate the construction of the Federal-aid highway systems, including the Interstate System, since many of such highways, or portions thereof, are in fact inadequate to meet the needs of local and interstate commerce, the national and the civil defense.” (Section 116) Federalist Papers 10, 14, and 51
“Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an ailment without which it instantly expires.” (Federalist 10, paragraph 5) “But the most common and durable source of factions has been the various and unequal distribution of property. Those who hold and those who are without property have ever formed distinct interests in society.” (Federalist 10, paragraph 7) “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place.” (Federalist 51, paragraph 4) “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.” (Federalist 51, paragraph 4) “In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” (Federalist 51, paragraph 4) Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” (Section 1) “If it be just, it should not be denied; if it be necessary, it should be adopted; if it be a punishment to traitors, they deserve it.” (Thaddeus Stevens, qtd. in Gillette, p. 31) “I would sooner cut off my right hand than ask for the ballot for the black man and not for woman.” (Susan B. Anthony, qtd. in McFeely, p. 266) “The question of suffrage is one which is likely to agitate the public so long as a portion of the citizens of the nation are excluded from its privileges in any State. It seems to be very desirable that this question should be settled now, and I entertain the hope and express the desire that it may be by the ratification of the fifteenth article of amendment to the Constitution.” (Ulysses S. Grant, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1869) Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
“No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” (Section 1) “Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed.” (Section 2) “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same.” (Section 3) Franklin D. Roosevelt's “Pearl Harbor” Speech
“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” (Paragraph 1) “But always will our whole Nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.” (Paragraph 8) “With confidence in our armed forces—with the unbounding determination of our people—we will gain the inevitable triumph—so help us God.” (Paragraph 11) Franklin D. Roosevelt's Campaign Address at Madison Square Garden
“In 1932 the issue was the restoration of American democracy; and the American people were in a mood to win. They did win. In 1936 the issue is the preservation of their victory. Again they are in a mood to win. Again they will win.” (Paragraph 3) “We have not come this far without a struggle and I assure you we cannot go further without a struggle. For twelve years this Nation was afflicted with hear-nothing, see-nothing, do-nothing Government. . . . Powerful influences strive today to restore that kind of government with its doctrine that that Government is best which is most indifferent.” (Paragraphs 21–22) “We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace—business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering. They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob.” (Paragraph 24–25) “Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred. I should like to have it said of my first Administration that in it the forces of selfishness and of lust for power met their match. I should like to have it said of my second Administration that in it these forces met their master.” (Paragraphs 26–27) “Of course we will continue to seek to improve working conditions for the workers of America—to reduce hours over-long, to increase wages that spell starvation, to end the labor of children, to wipe out sweatshops. Of course we will continue every effort to end monopoly in business, to support collective bargaining. . . . For all these we have only just begun to fight.” (Paragraph 43) Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” (Paragraph 1) “Where there is no vision the people perish.” (Paragraph 5) “This Nation asks for action, and action now.” (Paragraph 9) “I would dedicate this Nation to the policy of the good neighbor.” (Paragraph 6) “The people of the United States have not failed.” (Paragraph 25) Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four Freedoms Message to Congress
“We must always be wary of those who with sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal preach the ‘ism' of appeasement.” (Paragraph 19) “We must especially beware of that small group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American eagle in order to feather their own nests.” (Paragraph 20) “In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression. . . . The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way. . . . The third is freedom from want. . . . The fourth is freedom from fear.” (Paragraphs 72–78) “Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gain those rights or keep them.” (Paragraph 82) Frederick Douglass's “Fourth of July” Speech
“This Fourth [of] July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.” (“The Present,” paragraph 7) “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.” (“The Present,” paragraph 16) George H. W. Bush's Address to Congress on the Persian Gulf Crisis
“Our objectives in the Persian Gulf are clear, our goals defined and familiar: Iraq must withdraw from Kuwait completely, immediately, and without condition.
Kuwait's legitimate government must be restored. The security and stability of the Persian Gulf must be assured. And American citizens abroad must be protected.” (Paragraph 5) “We stand today at a unique and extraordinary moment. The crisis in the Persian Gulf, as grave as it is, also offers a rare opportunity to move toward an
historic period of cooperation. Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective--a new world order--can emerge: a new era--freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit
of justice, and more secure in the quest for peace. An era in which the nations of the world, East and West, North and South, can prosper and live in harmony.” (Paragraph 7) “I cannot predict just how long it will take to convince Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. Sanctions will take time to have their full intended effect. We will
continue to review all options with our allies, but let it be clear: we will not let this aggression stand.” (Paragraph 18) “Iraq will not be permitted to annex Kuwait. That's not a threat, that's not a boast, that's just the way it's going to be.” (Paragraph 20) “Our world leadership and domestic strength are mutual and reinforcing; a woven piece, strongly bound as Old Glory.” (Paragraph
21) George W. Bush's Address to the Nation on September 11, 2001
“A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the
foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” (Paragraph 3) “America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from
shining.” (Paragraph 4) “Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America.” (Paragraph 5) “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.” (Paragraph 9) “America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world, and we stand together to win the war against (Paragraph 11) “America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that
is good and just in our world.” (Paragraph 12) George Washington's Farewell Address
“Citizens, by birth or choice, of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any appellation derived from local discrimination.” (Paragraph 10) “This government, the offspring of our own choice, uninfluenced and unawed, adopted upon full investigation and mature deliberation, completely free in its principles, in the distribution of its powers, uniting security with energy, and containing within itself a provision for its own amendment, has a just claim to your confidence and your support.” (Paragraph 16) “The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government. But the Constitution which at any time exists, till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole people, is sacredly obligatory upon all.” (Paragraph 16) “Time and habit are at least as necessary to fix the true character of governments as of other human institutions.” (Paragraph 19) “Experience is the surest standard.” (Paragraph 19) “A government of as much vigor as is consistent with the perfect security of liberty is indispensable. Liberty itself will find in such a government, with powers properly distributed and adjusted, its surest guardian.” (Paragraph 19) “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.” (Paragraph 27) “As a very important source of strength and security, cherish public credit. One method of preserving it is to use it as sparingly as possible, avoiding occasions of expense by cultivating peace, but remembering also that timely disbursements to prepare for danger frequently prevent much greater disbursements to repel it.” (Paragraph 30) “To have revenue there must be taxes; . . . no taxes can be devised which are not more or less inconvenient and unpleasant.” (Paragraph 30) “Observe good faith and justice towards all nations; cultivate peace and harmony with all. Religion and morality enjoin this conduct; and can it be, that good policy does not equally enjoin it?” (Paragraph 31) “It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.” (Paragraph 39) George Washington's First Annual Message to Congress
“To secure the blessings which a gracious Providence has placed within our reach, will in the course of the present important session, call for the cool and deliberate exertion of your patriotism, firmness and wisdom.” (Paragraph 2) “To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” (Paragraph 3) “Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of publick happiness.” (Paragraph 11) “The welfare of our country is the great object to which our cares and efforts ought to be directed.” (Paragraph 15) “I shall derive great satisfaction from a cooperation with you, in the pleasing though arduous task of ensuring to our fellow citizens the blessings which they have a right to expect, from a free and equal government.” (Paragraph 15) George Washington's First Inaugural Address
“I was summoned by my Country, whose voice I can never hear but with veneration and love.” (Paragraph 1) “It has been my faithful study to collect my duty from a just appreciation of every circumstance by which it might be affected.” (Paragraph 1) “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.” (Paragraph 2) “The foundation of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality, and the preeminence of free government be exemplified by all the attributes which can win the affections of its citizens and command the respect of the world.” (Paragraph 3) “There exists in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity.” (Paragraph 3) “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” (Paragraph 3) Gettysburg Address
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” (Paragraph 1) “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” (Paragraph 2) “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” (Paragraph 3) Gibbons v. Ogden “If ever a numerous and inland delegation shall wield the exclusive power of making regulations for our foreign commerce, without community of interest or knowledge of our local circumstances, the Union will not stand; it cannot stand; it cannot be the ordinance of God or nature, that it should stand.” (Thomas Addis Emmet) “Commerce, undoubtedly, is traffic, but it is something more: it is intercourse.” (Chief Justice John Marshall) “The mind can scarcely conceive a system for regulating commerce between nations which shall exclude all laws concerning navigation, which shall be silent on the admission of the vessels of the one nation into the ports of the other, and be confined to prescribing rules for the conduct of individuals in the actual employment of buying and selling or of barter.” (Chief Justice John Marshall) “Powerful and ingenious minds, taking as postulates that the powers expressly granted to the government of the Union are to be contracted by construction into the narrowest possible compass and that the original powers of the States are retained if any possible construction will retain them may, by a course of well digested but refined and metaphysical reasoning founded on these premises, explain away the constitution of our country and leave it a magnificent structure indeed to look at, but totally unfit for use.” (Chief Justice John Marshall) “The great and paramount purpose was to unite this mass of wealth and power, for the protection of the humblest individual, his rights, civil and political, his interests and prosperity, are the sole end; the rest are nothing but the means.” (Justice William Johnson) Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
“The Congress approves and supports the determination of the President, as Commander in Chief, to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack
against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.” (Section 1) “The United States regards as vital to its national interest and to world peace the maintenance of international peace and security in southeast Asia. . . .
The United States is, therefore, prepared, as the President determines, to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed force, to assist any member or protocol state of the
Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting assistance in defense of its freedom.” (Section 2) “We cannot tell what steps may in the future be required to meet Communist aggression in Southeast Asia. The unity and determination of the American people,
through their Congress, should be declared in terms so firm that they cannot possibly be mistaken by other nations. The world has learned over fifty years of history that
aggression is invited if there is doubt about the response. Let us leave today's aggressors in no doubt whatever.” (Secretary of State Dean Rusk, qtd. in
Siff, p. 125) Hammer v. Dagenhart
“If Congress can thus regulate matters entrusted to local authority by prohibition of the movement of commodities in interstate commerce, all freedom of commerce will be at an end, and the power of the states over local matters may be eliminated, and thus our system of government be practically destroyed.” (Chief Justice Edward Douglass White, Majority Opinion) “But if there is any matter upon which civilized countries have agreed—far more unanimously than they have with regard to intoxicants and some other matters over which this country is now emotionally aroused—it is the evil of premature and excessive child labor. I should have thought that if we were to introduce our own moral conceptions where is my opinion they do not belong, this was preeminently a case for upholding the exercise of all its powers by the United States.” (Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Dissenting Opinion) “It is not for this Court to pronounce when prohibition is necessary to regulation if it ever may be necessary—to say that it is permissible as against strong drink but not as against the product of ruined lives. The Act does not meddle with anything belonging to the States. They may regulate their internal affairs and their domestic commerce as they like. But when they seek to send their products across the State line they are no longer within their rights.” (Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Dissenting Opinion) “The national welfare as understood by Congress may require a different attitude within its sphere from that of some self-seeking State. It seems to me entirely constitutional for Congress to enforce its understanding by all the means at its command.” (Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Dissenting Opinion) Homestead Act
“That any person who is the head of a family, or who has arrived at the age of twenty-one years, and is a citizen of the United States, or who shall have filed his declaration of intention to become such, . . . shall . . . be entitled to enter one quarter section or a less quantity of unappropriated public lands.” (Section 1) “That nothing in this act shall be so construed as to prevent any person who has availed him or herself of the benefits of the first section of this act, from paying the minimum price . . . for the quantity of land so entered at any time before the expiration of the five years, and obtaining a patent therefore from the government . . . on making proof of settlement and cultivation as provided by existing laws granting preemption rights.” (Section 8) “In regard to the homestead bill, . . . I am in favor of settling the wild lands into small parcels so that every poor man may have a home.” (Abraham Lincoln, February 13, 1861; qtd. in Villard, p. 81) Interstate Commerce Act
“All charges made for any service rendered or to be rendered in the transportation of passengers or property as aforesaid, or in connection therewith, or for the receiving, delivering, storage, or handling of such property, shall be reasonable and just.” (Section 1) “Unjust discrimination . . . is hereby prohibited and declared to be unlawful.” (Section 2) “Every common carrier subject to the provisions of this act shall according to their respective powers, afford all reasonable, proper and equal facilities for the interchange of traffic between their respective lines.” (Section 3) “That it shall be unlawful for any common carrier subject to the provisions of this act to charge or receive any greater compensation in the aggregate for the transportation of passengers or of like kind of property.” (Section 4) “That it shall be unlawful for any common carrier subject to the provisions of this act to enter into any contract, agreement, or combination with any other common carrier or carries for the pooling of freights of different and competing railroads.” (Section 5) “That every common carrier subject to the provisions of this act shall print and keep for public inspection schedules showing the rates and fares and charges for the transportation of passengers and property.” (Section 6) “That any person or persons claiming to be damaged by common carrier subject to the provisions of this act
may either make complaint to the Commission as hereinafter provided for, or may bring suit in his or their own behalf for the recovery of the damages.” (Section 9) “That a Commission is hereby created and established to be known as the Inter-State Commerce Commission.” (Section 11) “That the Commission is hereby authorized to require annual reports from all common carriers subject to the provisions of this act.” (Section 20) Intolerable Acts
“Dangerous commotions and insurrections have been fomented and raised in the town of Boston, in the province of Massachuset's [sic] Bay, in New England, by divers ill-affected persons, to the subversion of his Majesty's government, and to the utter destruction of the publick peace, and good order of the said town.” (Preamble, Boston Port Act) “The persons so annually elected, hath, for some time past, been such as had the most manifest tendency to obstruct, and, in great measure, defeat, the execution of the laws; to weaken and, in great measure, defeat, the execution of the laws; to weaken the attachment of his Majesty's well-disposed subjects in the said province to his Majesty's government, and to encourage the ill-disposed among them to proceed even to acts of direct resistance to, and defiance of, his Majesty's authority; And it hath accordingly happened that an open resistance to the execution of the laws hath actually taken place in the town of Boston.” (Preamble, Massachusetts Government Act) “In the present disordered state of the said province, it is of the utmost importance to the general welfare thereof, and to the re-establishment of lawful authority throughout the same, that neither the magistrates acting in support of the laws, nor any of his Majesty's subjects aiding and assisting them therein, or in the suppression of riots and tumults, raised in opposition to the execution of the laws and statutes of this realm, should be discouraged from the proper discharge of their duty.” (Preamble, Administration of Justice Act) James Madison’s Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments
“This duty [of religion] is precedent, both in order of time and in degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society.” (Paragraph 1) “It is proper to take alarm at the first experiment on our liberties.” (Paragraph 3) “The same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other Religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians.” (Paragraph 3) “Whilst we assert for ourselves a freedom to embrace, to profess and to observe the Religion which we believe to be of divine origin, we cannot deny an equal freedom to those whose minds have not yet yielded to the evidence which has convinced us.” (Paragraph 4) “The magnanimous sufferer . . . in foreign Regions, must view the Bill as a Beacon on our Coast, warning him to seek some other haven where liberty and philanthrophy in their due extent, may offer a more certain repose from his Troubles.” (Paragraph 9) Jefferson Davis's Inaugural Address to the Confederacy
“Sustained by the consciousness that the transition from the former Union to the present Confederacy has not proceeded from a disregard on our part of just obligations, or any failure to perform every constitutional duty, moved by no interest or passion to invade the rights of others, anxious to cultivate peace and commerce with all nations, if we may not hope to avoid war, we may at least expect that posterity will acquit us of having needlessly engaged in it.” (Paragraph 3) “If, however, passion or lust of dominion should cloud the judgment or inflame the ambition of those States [the states of the Union], we must prepare to meet the emergency and maintain, by the final arbitrament of the sword, the position which we have assumed among the nations of the earth.” (Paragraph 3) “For this your Constitution makes adequate provision; but beyond this, if I mistake not the judgment and will of the people, a reunion with the States from which we have separated is neither practicable nor desirable.” (Paragraph 6) “To increase the power, develop the resources, and promote the happiness of the Confederacy, it is requisite that there should be so much of homogeneity that the welfare of every portion shall be the aim of the whole.” (Paragraph 6) Jefferson's and Hamilton's Opinions on the Constitutionality of the Bank of the United States
“It would reduce the whole instrument to a single phrase, that of instituting a Congress with power to do whatever would be for the good of the United States; and, as they would be the sole judges of the good or evil, it would be also a power to do whatever evil they please.” (Jefferson's Opinion) “Can it be thought that the Constitution intended that for a shade or two of convenience, more or less, Congress should be authorized to break down the most ancient and fundamental laws of the several States; such as those against Mortmain, the laws of Alienage, the rules of descent, the acts of distribution, the laws of escheat and forfeiture, the laws of monopoly? Nothing but a necessity invincible by any other means, can justify such a prostitution of laws, which constitute the pillars of our whole system of jurisprudence.” (Jefferson's Opinion) “Will Congress be too strait-laced to carry the Constitution into honest effect, unless they may pass over the foundation-laws of the State government for the slightest convenience of theirs?” (Jefferson's Opinion) “This general and indisputable principle puts at once an end to the abstract question, whether the United States have power to erect a corporation; that is to say, to give a legal or artificial capacity to one or more persons, distinct from the natural. For it is unquestionably incident to sovereign power to erect corporations, and consequently to that of the United States, in relation to the objects intrusted to the management of the government. The difference is this: where the authority of the government is general, it can create corporations in all cases where it is confined to certain branches of legislation, it can create corporations only in those cases.” (Hamilton's Opinion) “To understand the word [‘necessary’] as the Secretary of State does, would be to depart from its obvious and popular sense, and to give it a restrictive operation, an idea never before entertained. It would be to give it the same force as if the word absolutely or indispensably had been prefixed to it.” (Hamilton's Opinion) “Such a construction would beget endless uncertainty and embarrassment. The cases must be palpable and extreme, in which it could be pronounced, with certainty, that a measure was absolutely necessary, or one, without which, the exercise of a given power would be nugatory. There are few measures of any government which would stand so severe a test. To insist upon it, would be to make the criterion of the exercise of any implied power, a case of extreme necessity; which is rather a rule to justify the overleaping of the bounds of constitutional authority, than to govern the ordinary exercise of it.” (Hamilton's Opinion) John F. Kennedy's Civil Rights Address
“Today we are committed to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free. And when Americans are sent to Viet-Nam or West
Berlin, we do not ask for whites only. It ought to be possible, therefore, for American students of any color to attend any public institution they select without having to be
backed up by troops.” (Paragraph 4) “It ought to be possible for American consumers of any color to receive equal service in places of public accommodation . . . without being forced to resort
to demonstrations in the street, and it ought to be possible for American citizens of any color to register to vote in a free election without interference or fear of
reprisal.” (Paragraph 5) “It ought to be possible, in short, for every American to enjoy the privileges of being American without regard to his race or his color. In short, every
American ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated. But this is not the case.” (Paragraph
6) “We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the scriptures and is as clear as the American Constitution.” (Paragraph
9) “The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities, whether we are going to treat our fellow
Americans as we want to be treated. If an American, because his skin is dark, cannot eat lunch in a restaurant open to the public, if he cannot send his children to the best public
school available, if he cannot vote for the public officials who will represent him, if, in short, he cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who among us
would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place? Who among us would then be content with the counsels of patience and delay?” (Paragraph 10) “We face, therefore, a moral crisis as a country and as a people. It cannot be met by repressive police action. It cannot be left to increased demonstrations
in the streets. It cannot be quieted by token moves or talk. It is time to act in the Congress, in your State and local legislative body and, above all, in all of our daily
lives.” (Paragraph 15) John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address
“We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom.” (Paragraph 1) “Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.” (Paragraph 3) “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.” (Paragraph 14) “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” (Paragraph
25) Joint Resolution of Congress for the Annexation of Texas
“The territory properly included within, and rightfully belonging to the Republic of Texas, may be erected into a new state, to be called the state of Texas, with a republican form of government, to be adopted by the people of said republic, by deputies in Convention assembled, with the consent of the existing government, in order that the same may be admitted as one of the states of this Union.” (Paragraph 1) “Said state . . . shall retain all the public funds, debts, taxes, and dues of every kind which may belong to or be due and owing said republic; and shall also retain all the vacant and unappropriated lands lying within its limits, to be applied to the payment of the debts and liabilities of said republic of Texas.” (Paragraph 2) “New states, of convenient size, not exceeding four in number, in addition to said state of Texas, and having sufficient population, may hereafter, by the consent of said state, be formed out of the territory thereof, which shall be entitled to admission under the provisions of the federal constitution.” (Paragraph 2) “Such states as may be formed out of that portion of said territory lying south of . . . the Missouri compromise line, shall be admitted into the Union with or without slavery, as the people of each state asking admission may desire. And in such state or states as shall be formed out of said territory north of said Missouri compromise line, slavery, or involuntary servitude, (except for crime,) shall be prohibited.” (Paragraph 2) Kansas-Nebraska Act
“Said Territory or any portion of the same, shall be received into the Union with or without slavery, as their constitution may prescribe at the time of admission.” (Sections 1 and 19) “That the Constitution, and all Laws of the United States which are not locally inapplicable, shall have the same force and effect within the said Territory of Nebraska as elsewhere within the United States, except the eighth section of the act preparatory to the admission of Missouri into the Union approved March sixth, eighteen hundred and twenty, which, being inconsistent with the principle of non-intervention by Congress with slaves in the States and Territories, as recognized by the legislation of eighteen hundred and fifty, commonly called the Compromise Measures, is hereby declared inoperative and void; it being the true intent and meaning of this act not to legislate slavery into any Territory or State, nor exclude it therefrom, but to leave the people thereof
perfectly free to form and regulate their domestic institutions in their own way, subject only to the Constitution of the United States.” (Section 14) Kerner Commission Report Summary
“This is our basic conclusion: our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal.” (Introduction) “What white Americans have never fully understood but what the Negro can never forget—is that white society is deeply implicated in the ghetto. White
institutions created it, white institutions maintain it, and white society condones it.” (Introduction) “White racism is essentially responsible for the explosive mixture which has been accumulating in our cities since the end of World War II.” (Part II, Chapter 4) “No American—white or black—can escape the consequences of the continuing social and economic decay of our major cities. Only a commitment to
national action on an unprecedented scale can shape a future compatible with the historic ideals of American society.” (Part III, Chapter
17) Lawrence v. Texas
“Freedom extends beyond spatial bounds. Liberty presumes an autonomy of self that includes freedom of thought, belief, expression, and certain intimate
conduct. The instant case involves liberty of the person both in its spatial and more transcendent dimensions.” (Justice Anthony Kennedy, Majority
Opinion) “When sexuality finds overt expression in intimate conduct with another person, the conduct can be but one element in a personal bond that is more enduring.
The liberty protected by the Constitution allows homosexual persons the right to make this choice.” (Justice Anthony Kennedy, Majority
Opinion) “Bowers was not correct when it was decided, and it is not correct today. It ought not to remain binding precedent. Bowers v.
Hardwick should be and now is overruled.” (Justice Anthony Kennedy, Majority Opinion) “Times can blind us to certain truths and later generations can see that laws once thought necessary and proper in fact serve only to oppress. As the
Constitution endures, persons in every generation can invoke its principles in their own search for greater freedom.” (Justice Anthony Kennedy, Majority
Opinion) “We have never held that moral disapproval, without any other asserted state interest, is a sufficient rationale under the Equal Protection Clause to justify
a law that discriminates among groups of persons.” (Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Concurrence) “It is clear from this that the Court has taken sides in the culture war, departing from its role of assuring, as neutral observer, that the democratic rules
of engagement are observed.” (Justice Antonin Scalia, Dissent) “At the end of its opinion—after having laid waste the foundations of our rational-basis jurisprudence—the Court says that the present case
‘does not involve whether the government must give formal recognition to any relationship that homosexual persons seek to enter.' Do not believe it.” (Justice Antonin Scalia, Dissent) “Today's opinion is the product of a Court, which is the product of a law-profession culture, that has largely signed on to the so-called homosexual
agenda, by which I mean the agenda promoted by some homosexual activists directed at eliminating the moral opprobrium that has traditionally attached to homosexual
conduct.” (Justice Antonin Scalia, Dissent) Lend-Lease Act
“The President may . . . authorize the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, or the head of any other department or agency of the Government . . . to manufacture in arsenals, factories, and shipyards under their jurisdiction, or otherwise procure, to the extent to which funds are made available therefor, or contracts are authorized from time to time by the Congress, or both, any defense article for the government of any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States.” (Section 3[a]) “The terms and conditions upon which any such foreign government receives any aid under subsection (a) shall be those which the President deems satisfactory, and the benefit to the United States may be payment or repayment in kind or property, or any other direct or indirect benefit which the President deems satisfactory.” (Section 3[b]) “Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize or to permit the authorization of the entry of any American vessel into a combat area in violation of section 3 of the neutrality Act of 1939.” (Section 3[e]) Marbury v. Madison
“The very essence of civil liberty certainly consists in the right of every individual to claim the protection of the laws, whenever he receives an injury. One of the first duties of government is to afford that protection. . . . The government of the United States has been emphatically termed a government of laws, and not of men.” “It is a proposition too plain to be contested, that the constitution controls any legislative act repugnant to it; or, that the legislature may alter the constitution by an ordinary act.” “Certainly all those who have framed written constitutions contemplate them as forming the fundamental and paramount law of the nation, and consequently the theory of every such government must be, that an act of the legislature repugnant to the constitution is void.” “It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is.” “So if a law be in opposition to the constitution: if both the law and the constitution apply to a particular case, so that the court must either decide that case conformably to the law, disregarding the constitution; or conformably to the constitution, disregarding the law; the court must determine which of these conflicting rules governs the case. This is of the very essence of judicial duty.” Marshall Plan
“The truth of the matter is that Europe's requirements for the next 3 or 4 years of foreign food and other essential products—principally from America—are so much greater than her present ability to pay that she must have substantial additional help, or face economic, social, and political deterioration of a very grave character.” (Paragraph 4) |