Letter 51 Locris, Zaleucis

casse Ave SAS z A Defense of the Constitutions of the United States by John Adams Introduction: Published in January of 1787, six months before the Constitutional Convention by American Founder, John Adams. In it he calls for a republic consisting of a balance of powers between the executive, judicial, and legislative powers. Citing penetrating examples of the successes, but mostly failures in so-called republican experiments and the reasons for those failures which usually consisted in a failure to balance those powers. For those pushing for a more pure democracy today are many examples of what history has proven about their baneful effects including centralization of power, violent factions, and moral corruption in the extreme, and thus anarchy and tyranny. Written in typical Adams prose, a most worthy read. Of interest is Adams call for a thorough examination of the constitutions of the American Indians which had well defined these three powers, and which he said were given unfairly a bad name. Steve Farrell Preface Letter 1 Preliminary Observations Letter 2 Democratical Republics Letter 3 St. Marino Letter 4 Biscay, The Grisons, United Provinces of the Low Lands Letter 5 Switzerland, Appenzel Letter 6 Switzerland, Underwald Letter 7 Switzerland, Glaris Letter 8 Switzerland, Zug Letter 9 Switzerland, Uri Letter 10 Switzerland, Switz Aristocratical Republics Letter 11 Switzerland, Berne Letter 12 Switzerland, Fribourg Letter 13 Switzerland, Soleure Letter 14 Switzerland, Lucerne Letter 15 Switzerland, Zurich Letter 16 Switzerland, Shaffhause, Mulhouse, Bienne Letter 17 Republics of St. Gall, and Geneva Letter 18 Swiss Republics of Lucca and Genoa Letter 19 Republic of Venice, United Provinces of the Low Countries Monarchical Republics Letter 20 England Letter 21 Poland Letter 22 POLAND, Part 2 Letter 23 RECAPITULATION Ancient Republics and Opinions of Philosophers

AD AMS , Letter 24 DR. JONATHAN SWIFT Letter 25 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Letter 26 DR RICHARD PRICE Mixed Governments Letter 27 MACHIAVELLI Letter 28 SIDNEY, MONTESQUIEU Ancient Republics, And Opinions of Philosophers Letter 29 Harrington Letter 30 POLYBIUS Part 1 Letter 31 POLYBIUS Part 2 Letter 32 Dionysius, Valerius Ga so Letter 33 Plato Go. Letter 34 Sir Thomas Smith Letter 35 Carthage Ancient Aristocratical Republics Letter 36 Rome Ancient Monarchical Republics Letter 37 Tacitus on Ancient Germans Letter 38 HOMER on PHÆACIA Letter 39 HOMER on ITHACA Ancient Aristocratical Republics Letter 40 LACEDAEMON Ancient Democratical Republics Letter 41 Athens Letter 42 Antalcidas Crushes Liberty by Deceit Letter 43 Achaia and the Volatility of Small Republics Letter 44 Crete’s So-Called Democracy | Letter 45 Corinth Letter 46 Argos Letter 47 Iphitus Letter 48 Thebes Ancient Aristocratical Republics bas \ Letter 49 Crotona, Pythagorus “zo. 082 Letter 50 Sybaris, Charondas ae. ba S53 Letter 51 Locris, Zaleucus Letter 52 Rome Conclusion LR: Letter 53 Congress Letter 54 Locke, Milton, and Hume Letter 55 Conclusion N A DETENSE EX OCE TAT

Locris & Zaleucus: Adams ‘Defense’ No. 51 | The Moral Liberal 29-09-12 12:21 Moral Liberal op Facebook Vind ik leuk 454 personen vinden The Moral Liberal leuk. Carol Annette Dale Miranda Sociale plug-in van Facebook Intellectual Property LLM Take Your Law Degree With Laureate. Find Out More Online Now! www.liverpool-degrees.com Locris & Zaleucus: Adams ‘Defense’ No. 51 Liberty Letters, John Adams, 1786 A Defense of the Constitutions of the United States, Letter 51 Ancient Aristocratical Republics: Locris. Zaleucus. My dear Sir, ZALEUCUS was of Locris in Italy, not far distant from Sybaris. He was a disciple of Pythagoras, of noble birth, and admirable morals. Having acquired the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens, they chose him for their legislator. Unfortunately little remains of his laws but their preamble: but this is in a style so superior to all the other legislators, as to excite regret for the loss of his code. In this preamble he declares, that all those who shall inhabit the city, ought, above all things, to be persuaded that there is a God; and if they elevate their eyes and thoughts towards the heavens, they will be convinced, that the disposition of the heavenly bodies, and the order which reigns in all nature, are not the work of men, nor of chance; that therefore they ought to adore the gods, as the authors of all which life presents us of good and beautiful; that they should hold their souls pure from every vice, because the gods accept neither the prayers, offerings, or sacrifices of the wicked, and are pleased only with the just and beneficent actions of virtuous men. Having thus, in the beginning of his laws, fixed the attention of his fellow-citizens upon piety and wisdom, he ordains, above all things, that there should never be among them any irreconcilable enmity; but, on the contrary, that those animosities which might arise among them, should be only a passage to a sure and sincere reconciliation; and that he who would not submit himself to these sentiments, should be regarded as a savage in a civilized community. The chiefs of his republics ought not to govern with arrogance nor pride; nor should the magistrates be guided in their judgments by hatred nor by friendship. This preamble, instead of addressing itself to the ignorance, prejudices, and superstitious fears of savages, for the purpose of binding http://www.themoralliberal.com/2012/03/12/locris-zaleucus-adams-defense-no-51/ Pagina 5 van 10

Locris & Zaleucus: Adams ‘Defense’ No. 51 | The Moral Liberal 29-09-12 12:21 them to an absurd system of hunger and glory for a family purpose, like the laws of Lycurgus, places religion, morals, and government, upon a basis of philosophy, which is rational, intelligible, and eternal, for the real happiness of man in society, and throughout his duration. The principle adopted by this legislator, as the motive to action next to the sense of duty and social obligation, was the sense of honour, like that of Lycurgus. As Zaleucus was a disciple of Pythagoras, whose favourite plan of government was a well-tempered aristocracy, we may conjecture that such was the form recommended to the Locrians: but all are lost, and certainly no argument can be drawn from them in favour of one popular assembly. If, in visiting the Sybarites and Locrians, we have found nothing in favour of Mr. Turgot’s system, nor any thing very material against it, we have found a greater advance towards civilization than in all the laws of Lycurgus and Solon, excepting only the trial by jury instituted by the latter; I mean in the preamble of Zaleucus, and in the general education to letters in schools, at the public expence, by Charondas. Table of Contents: A Defense of the Constitutions of the United States The Moral Liberal recommends: John Adams Share this: 0 Post Published: 12 March 2012 Author: Steven R. Montgomery Found in section: A Defense of the Constitutions of the United States by John Adams, Founders Corner, Steve Montgomery Tags: City States, government, Greek, happiness, influences on the Constitution, just government, just law, Locris, Zaleucus Previous Topic: The Foundation of Destruction Next Topic: The Supreme Power in the State: Aristotle’s Politics, Bk 3, Prt 14 Leave a Reply You must be logged in to post a comment. http://www.themoralliberal.com/2012/03/12/locris-zaleucus-adams-defense-no-51/ Pagina 6 van 10