le matter thoroughly, that you may justly judge our common cause.
To make the whole case clear, I will _land_ it out into four great
parcels of matter, which your mind can command at once, and then come
to the details of each, ploughing it all over before your face, furrow
by furrow. I shall speak,

I. Of the State of Affairs in America which has led to this
prosecution,--the Encroachments of a Power hostile to Democratic
Institutions.

II. Of the Mode of Operation pursued by this Encroaching Power, in
other times and in our own,--of Systematic Corruption of the
Judiciary.

III. Of the great Safeguard which has been found serviceable in
protecting Democratic Institutions and the Rights of Man they are
designed to defend,--of the Trial by Jury.

IV. Of the Circumstances of this special case, UNITED STATES _versus_
THEODORE PARKER.

I shall speak of each in its order, and begin at the head.

I. OF THE STATE OF AFFAIRS IN AMERICA, WHICH HAS LED TO THIS
PROSECUTION--THE ENCROACHMENTS OF A POWER HOSTILE TO DEMOCRATIC
INSTITUTIONS.

In a republic where all emanates from the People, political
institutions must have a Basis of Idea in the Nation's Thought, before
they can acquire a Basis of Fact in the Force of the Nation. Now in
America there are two diverse Ideas recognized as principles of
Action--the Idea of Freedom and the Idea of Slavery. Allow me to read
my analysis and description of each.

The Idea of Freedom first got a national expression on the
Fourth of July, 1776. Here it is. I put it in a philosophic
form. There are five points to it.

First, All men are endowed by their Creator with certain
natural rights, amongst which is the right to life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness.

Second, These rights are unalienable; they can be alienated
only by the possessor thereof; the father cannot alienate
them for the son, nor the son for the father; nor the
husband for the wife, nor the wife for the husband; nor the
strong for the weak, nor the weak for the strong; nor the
few for the many, nor the many for the few; and so on.

Third, In respect to these, all men are equal; the rich man
has not more, and the poor less; the strong man has not
more, and the weak man less:--all are exactly equal in these
rights, however unequal in their powers.

Fourth, It is the function of government to secure these
natural, unal