So this week, with Independence Day upon us, would be a good time to reflect on Filippo Mazzei, good friend and neighbor of Thomas Jefferson and the inspiration for the pivotal phrase “All Men Are Created Equal.”
Historians believe Jefferson “borrowed” the phrase from Mazzei who wrote in The Virginia Gazzette in 1774:
“All men are by nature equally free and independent. Such equality is necessary in order to create a free government. All men must be equal to each other in natural law.”
It was translated by a friend from the Italian: “Tutti gli uomini sono per natura egualmente liberi e indipendenti. Quest’ eguaglianza è necessaria per costituire un governo libero. Bisogna che ognuno sia uguale all’altro nel diritto naturale.”
An amazing bit of history to reflect on this week.
A wonderful and important bit of history. Thanks for sharing.