8 Ancient Principles

by Thomas Jefferson

1. Sound government should be based on self-evident truths. These truths should be so obvious, so rational, and so morally sound that their authenticity is beyond reasonable dispute.

2. The equal station of mankind here on earth is a cosmic reality, an obvious and inherent aspect of the law of nature und of nature's God.

3. This presupposes (as a self-evident truth) that the Creator made human beings equal in their rights, equal before the bar of justice, and equal in his sight. (Of course, individual attributes and personal circumstances in life vary widely.)

4. These rights which have been bestowed by the Creator on each individual are unalienable; that is, they cannot be taken away or violated without the offender coming under the judgment and wrath of the Creator. A person may have other rights, such as those which have been created as a "vested" right by statute, but vested rights are not unalienable. They can be altered or eliminated at any time.

5. Among the most important of the unalienable rights are the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to pursue whatever course of life a person may desire in search of happiness, so long as it does not invade the inherent rights of others.

6. The most basic reason for a community or a nation to set up a system of government is to assure its inhabitants that the rights of the people shall be protected and preserved.

7. And because this is so, it follows that no office or agency of government has any right to exist except with the consent of the people or their representatives.

8. It also follows that if a government, either by malfeasance or neglect, fails to protect those rights - or, even worse, if the government itself begins to violate those rights - then it is the right and duty of the people to regain control of theirs affairs and set up a form of government which will serve the people better.