Thomas Jefferson, Ambassador to the Kingdom of France, in a letter to William Stephens Smith, Secretary of the United States Legation in London, England, commenting on Shays’ Rebellion, writes,
God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all & [sic] always well-informed. … And what country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? … The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure. (emphasis added)
[added 9/27/2021]
Subsequent Events:
References:
Thomas Jefferson, “Letter to William S. Smith,” (November 13, 1787), Writings of, edited by Merrell D. Peterson, (New York: Library of America, 1984), 910, 911.
Shays’ Rebellion – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shays’_Rebellion
Current U.s. National Debt:
