If Aristotle, Livy, and Harrington knew what a republic was, the British constitution is much more like a republic than an empire. They define a republic to be a government of laws, and not of men. If this definition is just, the British constitution is nothing more or less than a republic, in which the king is first magistrate. This office being hereditary, and being possessed of such ample and splendid prerogatives, is no objection to the government's being a republic, as long as it is bound by fixed laws, which the people have a voice in making, and a right to defend.
John AdamsA native of America who cannot read or write is . . . as rare as a comet or an earthquake.
John AdamsThe real fabric of American society is not all those flags you see on people's cars...it's in the Bill of Rights and in our constitutional form of government.
John AdamsWe are in the the very midst of a revolution, the most complete, unexpected and remarkable of any in the history of nations.
John Adams