On the record
It is the nature of law to require obedience, but this demanded servitude; and the condition of an American, under the operation of it, was not that of a subject, but a vassal.
Said by
Thomas Paine
Source
gutenberg.orgIt is the nature of law to require obedience, but this demanded servitude; and the condition of an American, under the operation of it, was not that of a subject, but a vassal.
Paine contrasts the nature of law with the oppressive demands of the British government on Americans.
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