Is it not the glory of the people of America, that, whilst they have paid a decent regard to the opinions of former times and other nations, they have not suffered a blind veneration for antiquity, for custom, or for names, to overrule the suggestions of their own good sense, the knowledge of their own situation, and the lessons of their own experience?

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Madison, James [published as Publius]. "Federalist No. 14: Objections to the Proposed Constitution From Extent of Territory Answered." New York Packet, 30 Nov. 1787.

Current Citation

Madison, James. "No. 14: Proposed union not too large for republican government.--Madison." The Federalist: A Commentary on the Constitution of the United States, edited by Robert Scigliano. The Modern Library, 2001.