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Edmund Morgan Quotes


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Quotes by Edmund Morgan

Showing 31-40 of 49 Quotes by Edmund Morgan

Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence; Madison wrote not only the United States Constitution, or at least most of it, but also the most searching commentary on it that has ever appeared. Each of them served as president of the United States for eight years. What they had to say to each other has to command attention.

~Edmund Morgan

Topics: Also Appeared Attention Command Commentary Constitution Declaration Each Eight Ever Had Independence Jefferson Least Madison Most Only Other President Say Searching Served States Them United United States Wrote Years

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The men and women who occupied the east coast of North America between 1607 and 1800 have been more closely scrutinized than any other collection of people in American history.

~Edmund Morgan

Topics: America American American History Any Been Between Closely Coast Collection East East Coast History Men Men And Women More North North America Occupied Other People Than Who Women

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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 Morgan

Topics: Attempt Attempted Authority First God Government Longer Needed People Political Seems Slogan Source Substitute Successful Those Ultimately Useful Voice Who

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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

Topics: Been Church Claim Commission Communion Direct Even Given God Government Had High Himself Kind Might Necessary Need Old Old Testament Personal Rulers Some Support Testament Voice Working

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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

Topics: After Best Brief Business Could Death Fathers Founding Founding Fathers Franklin Go Got His House House Of Representatives James Known Listening Madison Months Mourning Notice Official Representatives Some Sort Then Tribute Two Voted Wear Without

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In France, where Franklin had lived from 1776 to 1785, he had won an extraordinary place in the public mind. The French had lionized him to the point of absurdity - or so at least his colleagues in the American mission thought.

~Edmund Morgan

Topics: Absurdity American Colleagues Extraordinary France Franklin French Had He Him His Least Lived Mind Mission Place Point Public Thought Where Won

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Most historians don't much like generalizations. Indeed, they make a trade of showing that this or that generalization about the past will not work here or there or then.

~Edmund Morgan

Topics: About Generalization Generalizations Here Historians Indeed Like Make Most Much Past Showing Then Trade Will Work

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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

Topics: Affirmation After Carter Country Days Declaration Diary Equality Freed He His Independence Meant Must Out Owner Plantation Read Ringing Send Slaves Steal Support Them Two Virginia Whether Wondered You

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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

Topics: Almost America Been Behind Colonial Culture Definition Existence Faint Ground High History Leave New Only Ordinary Ordinary People People Period Politics Proving Rather Social Than Traces Unfortunately Which

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The men who founded and governed Massachusetts and Connecticut took themselves so seriously that they kept track of everything they did for the benefit of posterity and hoarded their papers so carefully that the whole history of the United States, recounted mainly by their descendants, has often appeared to be the history of New England writ large.

~Edmund Morgan

Topics: Appeared Benefit Carefully Connecticut Descendants Did England Everything Founded Governed History Kept Large Mainly Massachusetts Men New New England Often Papers Posterity Seriously States The History Of Themselves Took Track United United States Who Whole Writ

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Biography

Nationality: American

Type: Historian

Born: January 17th, 1916

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