Samuel Adams,
on November 20, 1772 wrote:
"Among the Natural Rights...are these First.
a Right to Life;
Secondly to Liberty;
thirdly to
Property;
together
with the Right to support and defend them in the best manner they can
--Those are evident
Branches of, rather than deductions from the
Duty of Self Preservation, commonly called the first Law of Nature--
All Men have a Right to remain in a State of Nature
as long as they please:
And in case of intollerable
Oppression, Civil or Religious, to leave the Society they belong to, and enter
into another.--
When Men enter into Society, it is
by voluntary consent; and they have a right to demand and insist upon the
performance of such conditions, and previous limitations as form an equitable
original compact.--
Every natural Right not expressly given up or from the nature of a Social Compact necessarily
ceded remains.—
All positive and civil laws, should
conform as far as possible, to the Law
of natural reason and equity.--
As neither reason requires, nor religion
permits the contrary, every Man living
in or out of a state of civil society, has a right peaceably and quietly to
worship God according to the dictates of his conscience.--
"Just and true liberty, equal
and impartial liberty" in matters spiritual and temporal, is a thing that
all Men are clearly entitled to, by the eternal and immutable laws Of God and
nature, as well as by the law of Nations, & all well grounded municipal
laws, which must have their foundation in the former.
...All Persons
born in the British American Colonies are by the laws of God and nature, and by
the Common law of England...
Among those Rights are the
following;
which no men or body of
men, consistently with their own rights as men and citizens or members of
society, can for themselves give up, or take away from others.
First,
"The first
fundamental positive law of all Commonwealths or States, is the establishing
the legislative power;
as the first
fundamental natural law also, which is to govern even the legislative power
itself, is the preservation of the Society."
Secondly...
"There shall be one rule of
Justice for rich and poor; for the favorite in Court, and the Countryman at the
Plough."
Thirdly,
The supreme power cannot Justly
take from any man, any part of his property without his consent, in person or
by his Representative.--
... The statute of the
13th of George 2. c. 7. naturalizes even foreigners after seven years
residence.
The words of the
Massachusetts Charter are these,
"And
further our will and pleasure is, and we do hereby for us, our heirs and
successors, grant establish and ordain, that all and
every of the subjects of us, our heirs and successors, which shall go to and
inhabit within our said province or territory and every of their children which shall
happen to be born there, or on the seas in going thither, or returning from
thence shall have and enjoy, all liberties and immunities of free and natural
subjects within any of the dominions of us, our
heirs and successors, to all intents constructions & purposes whatsoever as
if they and every of them were born within this our Realm of England." "
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