ÿþ<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" /> <title>Patriot Week - First Principles - Rule of Law</title> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css/main_layout.css"> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="images/logo.ico" type="image/x-icon" /> </head> <body> <div id="wrapper"> <div id="header"> <div id="logo"></div> </div> <div id="main"> <div id="top_bg"></div><!--/top_bg--> <div id="content_bg"> <div id="content"> <!-- Navigation -------------------------------> <div id="nav"> <div id="nav_item1"> <div id="dropDownWrapper" class="menu_text"> <div id="menuItem" onclick="location.href='index.html';"><a href="index.html">Home</a></div><!--/menuItem--> <div id="line"></div> <div id="menuItemCurrentSub" onclick="location.href='first-principles.html';"><a 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further than the point of a sword. As John Adams described, &ldquo;In the earliest ages of the world, absolute monarchy seems to have been the universal form of government. Kings, and a few of their great counselors and captains, exercised a cruel tyranny over the people. . . .&rdquo; Rulers mostly governed through fear  there were no citizens, only subjects beholden to the ruler. Such government still exists  Vietnam, Burma, North Korea, and Cuba are just a few examples where oppressive regimes continue to rule the people by the barrel of a gun. <br /><br /> The Founding Fathers, however, believed that the rule of law is a fundamental First Principle of a free and just government. John Adams explained the Founders&#39; understanding when he wrote that good government and the very definition of a republic &ldquo;is an empire of laws.&rdquo; <br /><br /> In America, the government governs the citizenry according to the law, not by the whims or fancies of our leaders. By requiring our leaders to enact and publish the law, and to adhere to the same law that applies to each citizen, the rule of law acts as a potent barrier against tyrannical and arbitrary government. <br /><br /> The rule of law also requires that the same law govern all citizens. Founding Father Samuel Adams observed that the rule of law means that &ldquo;There shall be one rule of Justice for the rich and the poor; for the favorite in Court, and the Countryman at the Plough.&rdquo; <br /><br /> By requiring both the government and the people to adhere to the law, the rule of law serves as the foundational First Principle for protecting our liberty. </div> </div><!--/leftcolumn--> <div id="right_column"> <img src="images/rule_of_law.jpg" /> <div id="rightBodyBlock" class="disclaimer_text">Picture: The United States Supreme Court by Judge Michael Warren</div> <br /> <div id="rightBodyBlock" class="body_text"> <ul> <li class="no_bullet"><a href="first-principles.html">The First Principles</a></li> <li>September 11: <a href="revolution.html">Revolution</a></li> <li>September 12: <a href="rule-of-law.html">The Rule of Law</a></li> <li>September 13: <a href="social-compact.html">The Social Compact</a></li> <li>September 14: <a href="equality-gender.html">Equality - Gender</a></li> <li>September 15: <a href="equality-race.html">Equality - Race</a></li> <li>September 16: <a href="unalienable-rights.html">Unalienable Rights</a></li> <li>September 17: <a href="limited-government.html">Limited Government</a></li> </ul> </div> <br /><br /> <div id="rightBodyBlock" class="tagline_text"><b>Help Renew the Spirit of America.</b></div> <div id="cta" onclick="location.href='join-the-effort.html';"></div> <div id="facebook"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119416264739170&ref=ts" target="_blank"><img src="images/facebook.jpg" alt="Find us on Facebook" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/PatriotWeek"><img src="http://www.twitterbuttons.com/upload/badges/afd40ba764twitterbutton-0106.gif" title="By: TwitterButtons.com" alt="By: TwitterButtons.com" width="195"/></a></div> </div><!--/rightColumn--> <div style="clear:both"></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="footer"> <div id="horiz_line"><img src="images/horiz_line.gif" width="900" height="1" align="absmiddle"/></div> <div id="footer_content" class="footer_text"> <b>About Patriot Week</b> <br />&#187; <a href="index.html">Home</a> <br />&#187; <a href="first-principles.html">First Principles</a> <br />&#187; <a href="founding-fathers-patriots.html">Founding Fathers/Patriots</a> <br />&#187; <a href="activities.html">Activities</a> <br />&#187; <a href="schedule.html">Patriot Week Schedule</a><br />&#187; <a href="2011-public-events.html">2011 Public Events</a> </div> <div id="vert_line"><img src="images/vert_line.gif" width="1" height="130" /></div> <div id="footer_content" class="footer_text"> <b>Patriot Week Resources</b> <br />&#187; <a href="materials-resources.html">Materials and Resources</a> <br />&#187; <a href="flags.html">Flags</a> <br />&#187; <a href="documents-speeches.html">Documents and Speeches</a> <br />&#187; <a href="original-constitution.html">Original Constitution</a> </div> <div id="vert_line"><img src="images/vert_line.gif" width="1" height="130" /></div> <div id="footer_content" class="footer_text"> <b>Participants & Organizers</b> <br />&#187; <a href="2010-participants.html">2010 Participants</a> <br />&#187; <a href="2009-participants.html">2009 Participants</a> <br />&#187; <a href="board-of-directors.html">Board of Directors</a><br />&#187; <a href="advisory-board.html">Advisory Board</a> <br />&#187; <a href="about-judge-warren.html">About Judge Warren</a> </div> <div id="vert_line"><img src="images/vert_line.gif" width="1" height="130" /></div> <div id="footer_content" class="footer_text"> <b>Media / News</b><br /> &#187; <a href="media-clips.html">Media Clips</a><br /> &#187; <a href="movies.html">Movies</a><br /> &#187; <a href="michigan-senate-resolution.html">2009 Michigan Senate Resolution</a><br /> &#187; <a href="2010-michigan-senate-resolution.html">2010 Michigan Senate Resolution</a><br /> &#187; <a href="2011-Michigan-Senate-Resolution.html">2011 Michigan Senate Resolution</a><br /> &#187; <a href="2010-michigan-house-resolution.html">2010 Michigan House Resolution</a><br /> &#187; <a href="2011-michigan-house-bill-4464.htm">2011 Michigan House Bill 4464</a><br /> &#187; <a href="2011-Michigan-Senate-Bill-282.html">2011 Michigan Senate Bill 282</a><br /> &#187; <a href="newspaper-articles.html">Newspaper Articles</a> </div> <div id="vert_line"><img src="images/vert_line.gif" width="1" height="130" /></div> <div id="footer_content" class="footer_text"> &#187; <b><a href="join-the-effort.html">Join the Effort</a></b> <br />&#187; <b><a href="contact-patriot-week.html">Contact Patriot Week</a></b> <br />&#187; <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119416264739170&ref=ts" target="_blank">Find Us on Facebook</a></b> </div> <div id="end_cap"> <div class="copyright">&#169; 2010 Patriot Week</div> </div> </div><!--/footer--> <div id="end_cap_bottom"></div> </div><!--/wrapper--> </body> </html>