--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's only merit was in being the first…" description: "\"It's only merit was in being the first publication which carried the claim of our rights their whole length, and asserted that there was no rightful li..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/thomas-jefferson-43_claims_it-s-only-merit-was-in-being-the-first-p_3035599.jpg" --- # It's only merit was in being the first publication which… ![“It's only merit was in being the first publication which carried the claim of our rights their whole length, and asserted that there was no rightful link of connection between us and England but that of being under the same king.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/thomas-jefferson-43_claims_it-s-only-merit-was-in-being-the-first-p_3035599.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/thomas-jefferson-43_claims_it-s-only-merit-was-in-being-the-first-p_3035599.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/thomas-jefferson-43_claims_it-s-only-merit-was-in-being-the-first-p_3035599.jpg) > “It's only merit was in being the first publication which carried the claim of our rights their whole length, and asserted that there was no rightful link of connection between us and England but that of being under the same king.” [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The first publication asserted independence from England, emphasizing sovereignty under a shared monarch. **In simple terms:** First claim of rights emphasized sovereign equality. Key Takeaway Recognize the importance of asserting autonomy. Themes rights sovereignty political identity Mood historical analytical Type educational political When to use this quote - legal reforms - national movements Key Concepts founding documents colonial history Questions to Reflect On - What motivated this claim of rights? - How does shared monarchy affect autonomy? A Different Perspective May ignore nuanced political realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Connections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connections/) [England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) ## Related quotes > [A free people claim their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their magistrate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-free-people-claim-their-rights-as-derived-from-the-laws-of-nature/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [ A free people \[claim\] their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-free-people-claim-their-rights-as-derived-from-the-laws-of-nature-2/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [People who are denied access to power are also denied the opportunity to make or influence decisions to live a better life out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winnie-byanyima/people-who-are-denied-access-to-power-are-also-denied-the-opportunity/) [Winnie Byanyima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winnie-byanyima/) > [“the throne of England; there were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-throne-of-england-there-were-a-king-with-a-large-jaw-and-a-queen/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“There was a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the throne of England; there were a king…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/there-was-a-king-with-a-large-jaw-and-a-queen-with-a-plain-face-on/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“throne of England; there were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/throne-of-england-there-were-a-king-with-a-large-jaw-and-a-queen-with/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I have been at Leicester since I was 12 and to play for England at the King Power is obviously going to be my dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-chilwell/i-have-been-at-leicester-since-i-was-12-and-to-play-for-england-at/) [Ben Chilwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-chilwell/) > [“its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. 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There were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/some-of-its-noisiest-authorities-insisted-on-its-being-received-for/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) ## More by Thomas Jefferson > [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [ \[States and the Federal government are\] coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole... 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