DeclarationIndependence.gif (61895 bytes) Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inherent and inalienable rights; that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. .  . . He <the English King> has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. .  .  .  . For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent."

Quod omnes tangit debet ab omnibus approbari = Consent