--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lincoln once said that America was…" description: "\"Lincoln once said that America was founded on a proposition that was written by Jefferson in 1776. We are really founded on an argument about what that..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/joseph-j-ellis-13690_america_lincoln-once-said-that-america-was-found_297842.jpg" --- # Lincoln once said that America was founded on a… ![“Lincoln once said that America was founded on a proposition that was written by Jefferson in 1776. We are really founded on an argument about what that proposition means.” quote by Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/joseph-j-ellis-13690_america_lincoln-once-said-that-america-was-found_297842.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/joseph-j-ellis-13690_america_lincoln-once-said-that-america-was-found_297842.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/joseph-j-ellis-13690_america_lincoln-once-said-that-america-was-found_297842.jpg) > “Lincoln once said that America was founded on a proposition that was written by Jefferson in 1776. We are really founded on an argument about what that proposition means.” [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. America's founding principles are debated, reflecting differing interpretations of liberty and governance. **In simple terms:** Founding ideas are contested and shape national identity. Key Takeaway Engage in informed dialogue about constitutional values. Themes history politics identity interpretation Mood reflective analytical Type historical political When to use this quote - civic education - public debate - policy analysis - community forums Key Concepts founding documents philosophy civic discourse Questions to Reflect On - How do we reconcile conflicting historical interpretations? - What role should original intent play in modern law? A Different Perspective Historical narratives can be selective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) ## Related quotes > [No deeply rooted tendency was ever extirpated by adverse judgment. Not having originally been founded on argument, it cannot be destroyed by logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/no-deeply-rooted-tendency-was-ever-extirpated-by-adverse-judgment-not/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [We were founded on the idea that all people are created equal, and while that notion of who counts as a person - who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karine-jean-pierre/we-were-founded-on-the-idea-that-all-people-are-created-equal-and/) [Karine Jean-Pierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karine-jean-pierre/) > [Our founding documents didn't just protect the right to bear arms: they were designed to protect all the principles upon which America was founded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/our-founding-documents-didn-t-just-protect-the-right-to-bear-arms/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) > [America was founded on the backs of slaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/america-was-founded-on-the-backs-of-slaves/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [But America was founded on the principle that every person has God-given rights. That power belongs to the people. That government exists to protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/but-america-was-founded-on-the-principle-that-every-person-has-god/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [You go back and you examine the reasons America was founded, why it worked, what was magic about it, and you find out that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/you-go-back-and-you-examine-the-reasons-america-was-founded-why-it/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“America is founded on the understanding that wealth can be created through innovation and enterprise. Through the system of technological capitalism, we can go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/america-is-founded-on-the-understanding-that-wealth-can-be-created/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [America's veterans embody the ideals upon which America was founded more than 229 years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-buyer/america-s-veterans-embody-the-ideals-upon-which-america-was-founded/) [Steve Buyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-buyer/) > [America wasn't founded as a theocracy. America was founded by people trying to escape theocracies. Never in history have we had a Christian theocracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-a-boyd/america-wasn-t-founded-as-a-theocracy-america-was-founded-by-people/) [Gregory A. Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-a-boyd/) > [America was founded on a genocide, on the unquestioned assumption of the right of white Europeans to exterminate a resident, technologically backward, colored population…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/america-was-founded-on-a-genocide-on-the-unquestioned-assumption-of/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [“Think of how it all started: America was founded by slave owners who informed us, "All men are created equal." All "men," except Indians,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/think-of-how-it-all-started-america-was-founded-by-slave-owners-who/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [America was founded by religious people; devout people who came here because they wanted freedom of religion, It's what made America different from every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/america-was-founded-by-religious-people-devout-people-who-came-here/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [“Where America was founded on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, Sharia was founded on death, slavery, and the pursuit of power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-adams/where-america-was-founded-on-life-liberty-and-the-pursuit-of/) Nick Adams > [America was founded on the principle of inalienable rights, not dictated duties. The Declaration of Independence states that every human being has a right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-epstein/america-was-founded-on-the-principle-of-inalienable-rights-not/) [Alex Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-epstein/) > [Nothing could be more contrary to American values than the mob-like mentality and socialist precepts pushed by the far left. They seek nothing less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/nothing-could-be-more-contrary-to-american-values-than-the-mob-like/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) ## More by Joseph J. Ellis > [“Perhaps, in that eerily instinctive way in which he always grasped the difference between the essential and the peripheral, he literally felt in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/perhaps-in-that-eerily-instinctive-way-in-which-he-always-grasped-the/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“Upon learning that Washington intended to reject the mantle of emperor, no less an authority than George III allegedly observed, “If he does that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/upon-learning-that-washington-intended-to-reject-the-mantle-of/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“The Adams presidency, in fact, might be the classic example of the historical truism that inherited circumstances define the parameters within which presidential leadership…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/the-adams-presidency-in-fact-might-be-the-classic-example-of-the/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“p. 274 ...his trademark decision to surrender power as commander in chief and then president, was not...a sign that he had conquered his ambitions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/p-274-his-trademark-decision-to-surrender-power-as-commander-in-chief/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [To my three sons, Peter, Scott, and Alexander who pulled me from the 18th Century and back into the present on a regular basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/to-my-three-sons-peter-scott-and-alexander-who-pulled-me-from-the/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“They recognized from the beginning that they were a rare match. There were so many topics they could talk about easily and just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/they-recognized-from-the-beginning-that-they-were-a-rare-match-there/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [ \[quoting someone else\] the American constitution is a document designed by geniuses to be eventually interpreted by idiots ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/quoting-someone-else-the-american-constitution-is-a-document-designed/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [I believe I am an honorable man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/i-believe-i-am-an-honorable-man/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“The first symptom of the trouble appeared when Madison studied Hamilton’s proposal for the funding of the domestic debt. On the one hand, Hamilton’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/the-first-symptom-of-the-trouble-appeared-when-madison-studied/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“But if insecurity was the primal source of Hamilton's incredibly energy, one would have to conclude that providence had conspired to produce at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/but-if-insecurity-was-the-primal-source-of-hamilton-s-incredibly/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“One of the petitioners, an infamous do-gooder of uncertain sanity named Warner Mifflin, had actually acknowledged that his antislavery vision came to him after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/one-of-the-petitioners-an-infamous-do-gooder-of-uncertain-sanity/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [I would say readers can trust my work more than anyone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/i-would-say-readers-can-trust-my-work-more-than-anyone-else-s/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [And the only thing to do with a sin is to confess, do penance and then, after some kind of decent interval, ask for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/and-the-only-thing-to-do-with-a-sin-is-to-confess-do-penance-and-then/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“Burr had the dark and severe coloring of his Edwards ancestry, with black hair receding from the forehead and dark brown, almost black, eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/burr-had-the-dark-and-severe-coloring-of-his-edwards-ancestry-with/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [“First, it is crucial to recognize that Washington’s extraordinary reputation rested less on his prudent exercise of power than on his dramatic flair at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/first-it-is-crucial-to-recognize-that-washington-s-extraordinary/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) [Explore all 49 Joseph J. Ellis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. 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