Thomas Jefferson – letter to Roger Weightman

All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God.

-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Roger C. Weightman, June 24, 1826 (in the last letter he penned)

Jefferson recognizes here that science is changing humanity’s view of itself. A truth that realizes we are not fated to be servants to some throne.