"Government seems to me a part of religion itself, a thing sacred in its institution and end... I do not find a model in the world that time, place, and some singular emergencies have not necessarily altered; nor is it easy to frame a civil government that shall serve all places alike. I know what is said by the several admirers of monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy... any government is free to the people under it (whatever be the frame) where the laws rule, and the people are a party to those laws." — William Penn, Preface to the Frame of Government of Pennsylvania (1682)
Penn's standard for whether a government is "free" rests on:
- A
Direct democracy in town assemblies
- B
Aristocratic councils balancing the Crown
- Ccheck_circle
The rule of known laws to which the people consent
- D
Hereditary monarchy under a Christian sovereign
Explanation
Penn argues that the form (monarchy, aristocracy, democracy) matters less than whether laws govern and whether the people are "a party" to those laws — an early articulation of consent-based legitimacy.