Quote
By Andrew Johnson
The American system rests on the assertion of the equal right of every man to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, to freedom of conscience, to the culture and exercise of all his faculties.
- Source
- First Annual Message, December 4, 1865
- Read at
- The American Presidency Project, UC Santa Barbara
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About this quote
From Johnson's first annual message to Congress, December 4, 1865. He is describing how American government differs from the ancient republics, which absorbed the individual into the state.