When crimes go unpunished or when good men do
nothing, the lawless in spirit will become lawless in
practice, leading to violence and demagoguery.
Patriotic education must have at its center a respect for
the rule of law, including the Declaration and the
Constitution, so that we have what John Adams called
“a government of laws, and not of men.”
In the end, Lincoln’s solution must be ours:
When crimes go unpunished or when good men do nothing, the lawless in spirit will become lawless in practice, leading to violence and demagoguery. Patriotic education must have at its center a respect for the rule of law, including the Declaration and the Constitution, so that we have what John Adams called “a government of laws, and not of men.” In the end, Lincoln’s solution must be ours: