Governance of, by, and for the people” is a linking of at least four sources:
• Prologue to Wycliffe’s English translation of the Bible, 1384: “ The Bible is for the Government of the People, by the People, and for the People.”
• Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 “…all men are created equal… Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed… whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it…”
• Constitution of the United States, ratified 1788 “We the People…do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States….”
• Gettysburg Address by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863, “…government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. …”
Our Founders' Warning: “Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.” (Thomas Jefferson)