DISSENT

Dissent is one of the founding principles of the United States. Thomas Jefferson, in 1787, said that, “The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive.” Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president and a 5-star general, said “Here in America we are descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionaries and rebels—men and women who dared to dissent from accepted doctrine.”

Arguably the most famous quote regarding dissent is “dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” Many believe this is a quote from Jefferson, but the first documentation of a similar quote is from an anti-war group during the Vietnam era. Today dissent is making a comeback.

THE PHRASES