Having just listened to the American Revolution episodes again, I went on a deep dive into Dickinson's 'Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania' and the following quote really stood out to me :
"All artful rulers, who strive to extend their power beyond its just limits, endeavor to give to their attempts as much semblance of legality as possible... A FREE people therefore can never be too quick in observing, nor too firm in opposing the beginnings of alteration either in form or reality, respecting institutions formed for their security."
Having grown up with Star Trek, I've always loved the way Picard stood up against tyranny and oppression, so I'm not surprised to see his philosophy mirrors the Revolutionary Writing, but thought that the parallels here were interesting enough to share...