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"For if Men are to be precluded from offering their sentiments on a matter... reason is of no use to us—the freedom of Speech may be taken away—and, dumb & silent we may be led, like sheep, to the slaughter." George Washington. 15-3-1783
Insults published in northern anti-war papers directed at President Lincoln during the Civil War: “despot,” “tyrant,” “butcher,” “fiend,” “monster,” “liar,” “pirate,” “swindler” and “ignoramus.” (freedomforuminstitute.org/2009/02/11/civ…)
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."― Theodore Roosevelt (May 1918 & not when he was president himself!)
"Those who want the Government to regulate matters of the mind and spirit are like men who are so afraid of being murdered that they commit suicide to avoid assassination."―Harry S Truman (15-12-1952)
"The longer I live, the more I am impressed by the significance of our simple official oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. Perhaps it takes a lifetime of experience to understand how much the Constitution means to our national life." ―(Truman ibid) trumanlibrary.org/publicpapers/i…
"There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America."―Bill Clinton, First Inaugural Address. January 20, 1993 (Far from my favorite US president, but a pithy distillation of an important sentiment that I believe is still true today.)
