This comes from the Declaration of Independence. It really is a summary of the outcome of the Magna Carta, the document in which King John agreed (a bit unwillingly) to get the consent of the nobility before imposing questionable taxes needed because King John fought unnecessary wars in the opinion of the barons. They were the ones who were going to fight the wars AND collect the taxes. Jefferson was merely restating the rights of those governed. As it turned out, he moved the Magna Carta into the American Constitution.
