Thomas Jefferson famously wrote that the earth belongs to the living.
In this illuminating book, Ilan.
Less well-known is Madison\'s response, in which he said the improvements made by the dead - including the US Constitution - form a Debt Against the living, who benefit from them.
His letter to James Madison is often quoted for the proposition that we should not be bound to the \'dead hand of the past\', suggesting that the Constitution should instead be interpreted as a living, breathing document.
Thomas Jefferson famously wrote that the earth belongs to the living