He regarded the constitution of the United States to be one of limited powers; and he declared that he could not reconcile it to his judgment that the authority exercised in this section was within the legitimate powers conferred by the constitution.
Quincy emphasizes Adams' belief in a limited government as defined by the Constitution, reflecting his strict interpretation of its powers.
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More from Josiah Quincy
If we were bound to do it, we were bound to do it avowedly and above-board.
It prolongs life itself, and enlarges the sphere of existence.
This rendered it more unavoidable that the remainder of the continent should ultimately be ours.
If there is a Bostonian who ever sailed from his own harbor for distant lands, or returned to it from them, without feelings, at the sight of the Blue Hills, which he is unable to express, his heart is differently constituted from mine.
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