"Vox populi vox dei: the voice of the people is the voice of God. The slogan was useful for those who first attempted to substitute the people for God as the source of political authority. Their attempt was ultimately so successful that God no longer seems to be needed in government."
Edmund MorganTiny Panda Quotes
Quotes by Edmund Morgan
Edmund S. Morgan was a distinguished American historian, born on January 17, 1916, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Renowned for his profound insights into early American history, Morgan’s works, such as “American Slavery, American Freedom,” challenged conventional narratives and reshaped historical discourse. He served as a professor at Yale University and was a recipient of the Bancroft Prize, highlighting his scholarly impact. Morgan’s legacy endures not only in his writings but also in his ability to inspire critical thought about the complexities of American identity and freedom.
6 quotes found
"When Landon Carter, a Virginia plantation owner, read the Declaration of Independence two days after it was issued, he wondered whether its ringing affirmation of equality meant that slaves must be freed. If so, he confided to his diary, 'You must send them out of the country, or they must steal for their support.'"
Edmund Morgan"The colonial period has been the proving ground in America for the new social history, which concentrates on the ordinary doings of ordinary people rather than on high culture and high politics. Unfortunately ordinary people, almost by definition, leave behind only faint traces of their existence."
Edmund Morgan"Franklin was the best known of the Founding Fathers. His death could not go without some sort of official notice. The House of Representatives, after listening to a brief tribute by James Madison, voted to wear badges of mourning for two months and then got on with business."
Edmund Morgan"The American world had - seemingly, at least - become a Jeffersonian world by the election of 1800, which placed Thomas Jefferson in the presidency. Jefferson had been Hamilton's rival in the new government's early years, and Hamilton has figured in the public memory almost as much for that rivalry as for his positive achievements."
Edmund Morgan"It was not necessary and might even have been disadvantageous for a government to claim a direct personal commission and communion of the kind God had given some rulers in the Old Testament. A working government might need the support of the Church but not of God Himself in a voice from on high."
Edmund Morgan