This House Protected By An

They Tell Us, Sir, That We Are Weak; Unable To Cope With So Formidable An Adversary. But When Shall We Be Stronger? Will It Be The Next Week, Or The Next Year? Will It Be When We Are Totally Disarmed, And When A British Guard Shall Be Stationed In Every House?

Suffer Not Yourselves To Be Betrayed With A Kiss. Ask Yourselves How This Gracious Reception Of Our Petition Comports With Those Warlike Preparations Which Cover Our Waters And Darken Our Land. Are Fleets And Armies Necessary To A Work Of Love And Reconciliation? Have We Shown Ourselves So Unwilling To Be Reconciled, That Force Must Be Called In To Win Back Our Love? Let Us Not Deceive Ourselves, Sir. These Are The Implements Of War And Subjugationthe Last Arguments To Which Kings Resort.

[our Constitution] Is An Instrument For The People To Restrain The Government.

Amongst Other Strange Things Said Of Me, I Hear It Is Said By The Deists That I Am One Of The Number; And Indeed, That Some Good People Think I Am No Christian. This Thought Gives Me Much More Pain Than The Appellation Of Tory; Because I Think Religion Of Infinitely Higher Importance Than Politics; And I Find Much Cause To Reproach Myself That I Have Lived So Long, And Have Given No Decided And Public Proofs Of My Being A Christian. But, Indeed, My Dear Child, This Is A Character Which I Prize Far Above All This World Has, Or Can Boast.

....i Am Sure That The Dangers Of This System (the Federal Constitution) Are Real, When Those Who Have No Similar Interest With The People Of This Country (the South) Are To Legislate For Us - When Our Dearest Rights Are To Be Left, In The Hands Of Those, Whose Advantage It Will Be To Infringe Them.