Some men look at constitutions with sanctimonious reverence, and deem them like the ark of the covenant, too sacred to be touched... Laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind... We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.
Authentication Score 3
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Original Citation
Jefferson, Thomas. Letter to Samuel Kercheval. 12 July 1816.
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Current Citation
Jefferson, Thomas. "Samuel Kercheval, July 12, 1816." The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Including the Autobiography, The Declaration of Independence & His Public and Private Letters, edited by Adrienne Koch and William Peden. Modern Library, 1998.
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