John Adams: A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America

Glossary

• habeas corpus legal action by which a person seeks relief from unlawful arrest; among the Founders, a crucial guarantee of freedom against arbitrary state action
• Lycian pertaining to Lycia, a confederation of ancient cities in what is now Turkey and the world’s first confederation with democratic principles, similar to those enshrined in the U.S. Constitution
• oligarchy a form of government in which power is concentrated in the hands of a small number of elite people