Letter to Abigail Adams, 7 July 1775
John Adams
John Adams, writing to his wife Abigail during the American Revolution, foresaw the fragility of liberty amidst the turmoil of nascent nationhood. In 1775, the colonies were not yet independent, and Adams was already wrestling with how to ensure the new government would preserve the freedoms they fought for. His warning comes from a time when the world saw governments revert to tyranny with alarming regularity. The lesson: the loss of liberty is a one-way door, and vigilance is the price of keeping it ajar.