Ashereditarygovernmentcouldnotbeginasanaturalrightinanyfamily，norderiveafteritscommencementanyrightfromtime，wehaveonlytoexaminewhetherthereexistinanationarighttosetitup，andestablishitbywhatiscalledlaw，ashasbeendoneinEngland。IanswerNO；andthatanylaworanyconstitutionmadeforthatpurposeisanactoftreasonagainsttherightofeveryminorinthenation，atthetimeitismade，andagainsttherightsofallsucceedinggenerations。
Ishallspeakuponeachofthosecases。First，oftheminoratthetimesuchlawismade。Secondly，ofthegenerationsthataretofollow。
Anation，inacollectivesense，comprehendsalltheindividualsofwhateverage，fromjustborntojustdying。Ofthese，onepartwillbeminorsandtheotheraged。Theaverageoflifeisnotexactlythesameineveryclimateandcountry，butingeneraltheminorityinyearsarethemajorityinnumbers；thatis，thenumberofpersonsundertwenty-oneyears，isgreaterthanthenumberofpersonsabovethatage。
ThisdifferenceinnumberisnotnecessarytotheestablishmentoftheprincipleImeantolaydown，butitservestoshowthejusticeofitmorestrongly。Theprinciplewouldbeequallyasgoodifthemajorityinyearswerealsothemajorityinnumbers。
Therightsofminorsareassacredastherightsoftheaged。Thedifferenceisaltogetherinthedifferentageofthetwoparties，andnothinginthenatureoftherights；therightsarethesamerights；andaretobepreservedinviolatefortheinheritanceoftheminorswhentheyshallcomeofage。
Duringtheminorityofminorstheirrightsareunderthesacredguardianshipoftheaged。
Theminorcannotsurrenderthem；theguardiancannotdispossesshim；
consequently，theagedpartofanation，whoarethelaw-makersforthetimebeing，andwho，inthemarchoflifearebutafewyearsaheadofthosewhoareyetminors，andtowhomtheymustshortlygiveplace，havenotandcannothavetherighttomakealawtosetupandestablishhereditarygovernment，or，tospeakmoredistinctly，anhereditarysuccessionofgovernors；
becauseitisanattempttodepriveeveryminorinthenation，atthetimesuchalawismade，ofhisinheritanceofrightswhenheshallcomeofage，andtosubjugatehimtoasystemofgovernmenttowhich，duringhisminority，hecouldneitherconsentnorobject。
Ifapersonwhoisaminoratthetimesuchalawisproposed，hadhappenedtohavebeenbornafewyearssooner，soastobeoftheageoftwenty-oneyearsatthetimeofproposingit，hisrighttohaveobjectedagainstit，tohaveexposedtheinjusticeandtyrannicalprinciplesofitandtohavevotedagainstit，willbeadmittedonallsides。
If，therefore，thelawoperatestopreventhisexercisingthesamerightsafterhecomesofageashewouldhavehadarighttoexercisehadhebeenofageatthetime，itisundeniablyalawtotakeawayandannultherightsofeverypersoninthenationwhoshallbeaminoratthetimeofmakingsuchalaw，andconsequentlytherighttomakeitcannotexist。
Icomenowtospeakofgovernmentbyhereditarysuccession，asitappliestosucceedinggenerations；andtoshowthatinthiscase，asinthecaseofminors，theredoesnotexistinanationarighttosetitup。
Anation，thoughcontinuallyexisting，iscontinuallyinastateofrenewalandsuccession。Itisneverstationary。Everydayproducesnewbirths，carriesminorsforwardtomaturity，andoldpersonsfromthestage。
Inthiseverrunningfloodofgenerationsthereisnopartsuperiorinauthoritytoanother。Couldweconceiveanideaofsuperiorityinany，atwhatpointoftime，orinwhatcenturyoftheworld，arewetofixit？
Towhatcausearewetoascribeit？Bywhatevidencearewetoproveit？
Bywhatcriterionarewetoknowit？
Asinglereflectionwillteachusthatourancestors，likeourselves，werebuttenantsforlifeinthegreatfreeholdofrights。Thefee-absolutewasnotinthem，itisnotinus，itbelongstothewholefamilyofmanthroughallages。Ifwethinkotherwisethanthiswethinkeitherasslavesorastyrants。Asslaves，ifwethinkthatanyformergenerationhadarighttobindus；astyrants，ifwethinkthatwehaveauthoritytobindthegenerationsthataretofollow。
Itmaynotbeinapplicabletothesubject，toendeavortodefinewhatistobeunderstoodbyagenerationinthesensethewordishereused。
Asanaturaltermitsmeaningissufficientlyclear。Thefather，theson，thegrandson，aresomanydistinctgenerations。Butwhenwespeakofagenerationasdescribingthepersonsinwhomlegalauthorityresides，asdistinctfromanothergenerationofthesamedescriptionwhoaretosucceedthem，itcomprehendsallthosewhoareabovetheageoftwenty-oneyears，atthetimethatwecountfrom；andagenerationofthiskindwillcontinueinauthoritybetweenfourteenandtwenty-oneyears，thatis，untilthenumberofminors，whoshallhavearrivedatage，shallbegreaterthanthenumberofpersonsremainingoftheformerstock。
Forexample:IfFrance，atthisoranyothermoment，containstwenty-fourmillionsofsouls，twelvemillionswillbemales，andtwelvefemales。Ofthetwelvemillionsofmales，sixmillionswillbeoftheageoftwenty-oneyears，andsixwillbeunder，andtheauthoritytogovernwillresideinthefirstsix。
Buteverydaywillmakesomealteration，andintwenty-oneyearseveryoneofthoseminorswhosurviveswillhavearrivedatage，andthegreaterpartoftheformerstockwillbegone:themajorityofpersonsthenliving，inwhomthelegalauthorityresides，willbecomposedofthosewho，twenty-oneyearsbefore，hadnolegalexistence。Thosewillbefathersandgrandfathersintheirturn，and，inthenexttwenty-oneyears（orless）anotherraceofminors，arrivedatage，willsucceedthem，andsoon。
Asthisiseverthecase，andaseverygenerationisequalinrightstoanother，itconsequentlyfollows，thattherecannotbearightinanytoestablishgovernmentbyhereditarysuccession，becauseitwouldbesupposingitselfpossessedofarightsuperiortotherest，namely，thatofcommandingbyitsownauthorityhowtheworldshallbehereaftergoverned，andwhoshallgovernit。
Everyageandgenerationis，andmustbe（asamatterofright），asfreetoactforitselfinallcases，astheageandgenerationthatprecededit。Thevanityandpresumptionofgoverningbeyondthegraveisthemostridiculousandinsolentofalltyrannies。Manhasnopropertyinman，neitherhasonegenerationapropertyinthegenerationsthataretofollow。
Inthefirstpartofthe\"RightsofMan\"Ihavespokenofgovernmentbyhereditarysuccession；andIwillhereclosethesubjectwithanextractfromthatwork，whichstatesitunderthetwofollowingheads。
First，Therightofaparticularfamilytoestablishitself。
Secondly，Therightofanationtoestablishaparticularfamily。
\"Withrespecttothefirstoftheseheads，thatofafamilyestablishingitselfwithhereditarypowersonitsownauthority，andindependentoftheconsentofanation，allmenwillconcurincallingitdespotism；anditwouldbetrespassingontheirunderstandingtoattempttoproveit。