I set out on this ground, which I suppose to be self-evident, that the earth belongs in usufruct to the living; that the dead have neither powers nor rights over it.
This, with its echo of the Declaration (self-evident
) was Jefferson at his most terse. Except for the phrase in usufruct
— a legalism meaning the right to use property for a certain time — Jefferson’s words could be chiseled in stone, or shouted on the hustings.
Smith, Francis
Concord, MA — With over 900 acres, the Minute Man Historical Park traces the route originally taken by the British Regulars from Lexington to Concord; includes the Minute Man Visitor Center, North Bridge Visitor Center, Hartwell Tavern, and the five-mile Battle Road Trail.
James Madison (2011)