• The reins of government have been so long slackened, that I fear the people will not quietly submit to those restraints which are necessary for the peace and security of the community.

    Abigail Adams: The reins of government have been so long slackened, that I fear the people will not quietly submit to those restraints which are necessary for the peace and security of the community.
    Abigail Adams, John Adams (1840). “Letters of Mrs. Adams: The Wife of John Adams”, p.81