"One of the most essential branches of English liberty is the freedom of one's house. A man's house is his castle."

-James Otis, On the Writs of Assistance, 1761.

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"He who is permitted by law to have no property of his own, can with difficulty conceive that property is founded in anything but force."

-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Bancroft, January 26, 1788.

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"Government is instituted to protect property of every sort; as well that which lies in the various rights of individuals, as that which the term particularly expresses. This being the end of government, that alone is a just government which impartially secures to every man whatever is his own."

-James Madison, Essay on Property, March 29, 1792.

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"The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If 'Thou shalt not covet" and 'Thou shalt not steal' were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free."

-John Adams, A Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, 1787.