"The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending against all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks"
About this Quote
Adams writes like a man who knows that “freedom” is never endangered by villains alone, but by fatigue, distraction, and the tempting bargain of safety for silence. The sentence is built as a double insistence: first on value (“worth defending”), then on obligation (“it is our duty”). That pivot matters. He’s not flattering readers with abstract ideals; he’s conscripting them into a moral contract. Liberty isn’t a hobby for the politically curious. It’s a responsibility that attaches to citizenship whether you feel ready or not.
The phrasing “against all hazards” widens the threat beyond musket fire. Hazards include chaos, economic pain, reputational risk, even the discomfort of dissent. Adams is underwriting the costs of resistance in advance, refusing the comforting fantasy that a “civil constitution” can be preserved with minimal inconvenience. His “all attacks” is equally elastic: not just imperial coercion, but any erosion of self-government by intimidation, complacency, or internal compromise.
Context sharpens the edge. As a Revolutionary agitator and organizer, Adams helped turn grievance into collective action in a colonial world where protest could be branded sedition and punished accordingly. The sentence is a rhetorical rally point for a movement trying to justify extraordinary measures without losing the mantle of legitimacy. By centering “our civil constitution,” he also makes freedom concrete: not a mood, but a set of institutions and rights that must be actively maintained. The subtext is blunt: if you want the benefits of liberty, you inherit its risks.
The phrasing “against all hazards” widens the threat beyond musket fire. Hazards include chaos, economic pain, reputational risk, even the discomfort of dissent. Adams is underwriting the costs of resistance in advance, refusing the comforting fantasy that a “civil constitution” can be preserved with minimal inconvenience. His “all attacks” is equally elastic: not just imperial coercion, but any erosion of self-government by intimidation, complacency, or internal compromise.
Context sharpens the edge. As a Revolutionary agitator and organizer, Adams helped turn grievance into collective action in a colonial world where protest could be branded sedition and punished accordingly. The sentence is a rhetorical rally point for a movement trying to justify extraordinary measures without losing the mantle of legitimacy. By centering “our civil constitution,” he also makes freedom concrete: not a mood, but a set of institutions and rights that must be actively maintained. The subtext is blunt: if you want the benefits of liberty, you inherit its risks.
Quote Details
| Topic | Freedom |
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