What The Founding Fathers Really Meant By Sic Semper Tyrannis

From its classical origins in the story of brutus and julius caesar, to its role in the founding of the united states, and its darker associations with the assassination of abraham lincoln, sic semper tyrannis reflects the complex and often violent struggle for power and liberty throughout history. In 1776, the year the united states was founded, virginia adopted sic semper tyrannis as a part of its seal. The phrase was meant to capture the revolutionary fervor felt by virginians after declaring their independence from great britain, rulers that they saw as being tyrannical in many ways.

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When john wilkes booth put a bullet in abraham lincolns head at fords theatre on april 14th. 1865, he jumped over the balcony rail onto the stage, broke his leg, then stood up, faced the audience, and proclaimed sic semper tyrannis, or thus always to tyrants! To the founding fathers of america, tyranny was when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism to narrow it further, thomas jefferson said that tyranny is when something is legal for the government but illegal for the citizenry. Mike fontaine, professor of classics at cornell university, proposes that the expression is likely a latin translation by the u. s. The virginia state motto, adopted in 1776, is sic semper tyrannis.

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The english translation of the latin phrase is thus always to tyrants. Virginia statesman george wythe is.

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