“The advancement and diffusion of knowledge...is the only guardian of true liberty.” These were the words penned by President James Madison in June of 1825.
President James Madison wrote those words in a letter to George
Thomson eight years after completing his second presidential term. In
that letter, he emphasized that “true liberty” is a precious gift worth
protecting and that education is the essential mechanism for achieving it.
Madison’s commitment to the preservation of liberty began long before he assumed the presidency. As a young man, he co-authored The Federalist Papers alongside Alexander Hamilton and John Jay and was the primary author of the U.S. Constitution—an achievement that earned him the noble title “Father of the Constitution.”
At the University of West Florida, we share in that responsibility to safeguard liberty by empowering our students in their pursuit of knowledge and “true liberty.”
Continue the celebration of America's 250th here: america250fl.com
and here.