Excerpts: “But suppose the evils of misgovernment are not of ‘light and transient’? Suppose evils are the result, not of accident, ignorance, or even the bad policies of a particular set of lawmakers (who might, in time, be replaced by other, wiser ones)? Suppose evils arise from the ‘form of government’ itself. ” Evils so fundamental require radical remedies. It then becomes ‘the right of the people to alter or to abolish’ the current form ‘and to institute new government'” (p. 77-78).

“Men want liberty. But they want other things as much, sometimes more. They will surrender liberty for the sake of security and take other people’s liberty in order to bolster their own self-esteem” (p. 126).

“But American liberty Is more than an absence of evils. It is a system of principles and conduct that keeps evils at bay. Maintaining it requires the devotion of Americans, native-born and newcomers alike” (p. 202).

Brookhiser, Richard (2019). Give Me Liberty: A History of America’s Exceptional Idea. New York: Hachette Book Group.