Indeed, far from being something that has been employed only by reigning officials, encryption has been used by civilians, businesspeople, and revolutionaries—including the Founding Fathers of the United States—for centuries.

If the rulers at the time had what our current government is demanding, back doors to encryption, the United States would not exist as our Founding Fathers would have been tried for treason long before accomplishing what they set out to do.

Source: Crypto is For Everyone—and American History Proves It