"Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere."
— Defense

January 1, 1970

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Added on April 10, 2026
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Original Language: English

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Abraham Lincoln, speech at Edwardsville, Illinois (11 September 1858);The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln (1953), edited by Roy P. Basler, Vol. 3, p. 95. The last two sentences appear in slightly varying form inscribed on a plaque in the stairwell of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty: "Our defense is in the spirit which prized liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands everywhere. Destroy this spirit and you have planted the seeds of despotism at your own doors." -->