As the citizenry drew together in their opposition to England, they also realized the necessity of social cohesion. But rather than tyranny, they would form a collective government by combining the individual liberty of each person. This “pooling of each man’s liberty into a common body” is what would enable them to avoid both slavery and anarchy.17 Since such an undertaking would require one to surrender some of one’s own liberty, the cultivation of virtue took on a political role.18 The safety of the government and the people’s morals were intimately connected, so that public virtue would
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