American Quotations by William J. Federer 2024

Isaac Backus (January 9, 1724-November 20, 1806) was an American separatist leader and colonial historian. He wrote many influence works, including: History of New England-with Particular Reference to the Denomination of Christians Called Baptist, published in 1777; and "A Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of the State of Massachusetts-Bay in New England," in which he stated: <Nothing can be true religion but a voluntary obedience unto His revealed will, of which each rational soul has an equal right to judge for himself, every person has an unalienable right to act in all religious affairs according to the full persuasion...

William Livingston (November 1723-July 25, 1790) was a Brigadier General in the militia and a member of the First and Second Continental Congresses. He signed the U.S. Constitution, being 61 years old at the time. He served as the first Governor of New Jersey, and was re-elected for 14 years. Growing up on the frontier around Albany, William Livingston knew the missionaries who worked among the Mohawks. He graduated first in his class from Yale and went on to study law. While living in New York, he published articles defending the faith, many of which were published in The Independent Reflector,...

Sir William Blackstone (July 10, 1723-February 14, 1780) was an English jurist who deeply influenced the growth of Common Law, jurisprudence and the basis of law in America. In 1758, he was honored by being elected Oxford's first Vinerian lecturer, and in 1770, he became one of the Judges of the Common Pleas. From 1765 to 1770, Sir William Blackstone published his highly influential work titled, Commentaries on the Laws of England. These were so universally accepted in America that by 1775 they had sold more copies in America than in England. This work set the foundation for America's great legal...

Adam Smith (June 16, 1723-July 17, 1790) was a Scottish pioneer of political economy, considered the father of modern economics. In 1759, Smith wrote The Theory of Moral Sentiments and in 1776 he wrote An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, considered the first modern work of economics. After the invincible Spanish Armada set sail May 19, 1588, to conquer England. Queen Elizabeth relied on Sir Francis Drake and his smaller, faster vessels. Drake ingeniously floated burning ships at night into the anchored Spanish fleet, dispersing them in a panic. Aided by gale force winds half...

Roger Sherman (April 19, 1721-July 23, 1793) was an American Revolutionary patriot, jurist and politician. He was distinguished as the only Founding Father to sign all four major founding documents: The Articles of Association, 1774; The Declaration of Independence, 1776; The Articles of Confederation, 1777; and The Constitution of the United States, 1787. Roger Sherman was a shoe cobbler, surveyor and merchant prior to his political career. He was a self-taught lawyer; a state senator; a superior court judge; and a judge in Connecticut for fourteen years. He was member of the Continental Congress and helped draft the Declaration of Independence....