Movie Quote from "The Patriot" was it a real quote?

[Smoke]

In the movie "The Patriot" Mel Gibsons character says while Congress is in session: "Tell me, what is the difference in one tyrant 3000 miles away and 3000 tyrants one mile away?" (or something to that effect)

Was that a real quote from the period and if so who said it?  Or was it just good writing for the movie?

Smoke

[Azrael256]

I think it is.  I found this: "as Mather Biles wrote in a letter to Nathaniel Emmons, which is better, to be ruled by one tyrant 3000 miles away, or 3000 tyrants one mile away?"

It came from here  It's some high school kid's essay, but it includes a footnote with a source if you want to verify it.

[grampster]

Azrael,

How in the name of all that is sacred and holy do you and others like you continue to come up with finding all this stuff on the internet?  I am amazed!!  A kid's high school paper....wha...how...oy...

I love APS!

[Zundfolge]

How in the name of all that is sacred and holy do you and others like you continue to come up with finding all this stuff on the internet?

http://www.google.com
http://www.teoma.com
http://www.kartoo.com

With those three I find lots of stuff (the last one takes some serious getting used to ... but its a great last resort page and I find lots of obscure stuff through it ... its just harder to navigate).

[Fjolnirsson]

You might try Clusty, too. I've had great results with it.
http://clusty.com/