A couple of quotes on rights from Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson....
Hamilton: The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power. (The Farmer Refuted, 1775)
Jefferson: The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them. (Rights of British America, 1774)
The beauty of rights, especially under the Constitution, is that while they can be restricted under certain circumstances, they cannot be taken away without due process (i.e. according to the 13th Amendment). These are known as negative rights, rights inborn to all individuals, and not positive rights, rights granted by government. (Rights that can be granted by government to its' people can also be taken away by government - remember the Covid lockdowns, folks?)
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