What is Law?

Chapter I of Lysander Spooner's, The Unconstitutionality of Slavery [1860].   Before examining the language of the Constitution, in regard to Slavery, let us obtain a view of the principles, by virtue of which law arises out of those constitutions and compacts, by which people agree to establish government. To do this it is necessary to define the term law. Popular opinions are very loose and indefinite, both as to the true definition of law, and also as to the principle, by virtue of which law results from the compacts or contracts of mankind with each other. What then is Law? That...

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Lysander Spooner: A Letter to Grover Cleveland

Lysander Spooner, A Letter to Grover Cleveland, on his false Inaugural Address, the Usurpations and Crimes of Lawmakers and Judges, and the consequent Poverty, Ignorance, and Servitude of the People [1886] Section I. To Grover Cleveland: Sir,— Your inaugural address is probably as honest, sensible, and consistent a one as that of any president within the last fifty years, or, perhaps, as any since the foundation of the government. If, therefore, it is false, absurd, self-contradictory, and ridiculous, it is not (as I think) because you are personally less honest, sensible, or consistent than...

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A Plan for the Abolition of Slavery

A Plan for the Abolition of Slavery, and To the Non-Slaveholders of the South [1858] Title Page Original Table of Contents / First Page Abolition Plan TO THE NON-SLAVEHOLDERS OF THE SOUTH. We present to you herewith “A Plan for the Abolition of Slavery,” and solicit your aid to carry it into execution. Your numbers, combined with those of the Slaves, will give you all power. You have but to use it, and the work is done. The following self-evident principles of justice and humanity will serve as guides to the measures proper to be adopted. These principles are— 1. That the Slaves have a...

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Lysander Spooner

Lysander Spooner (1808-1887) was a legal theorist, abolitionist, and radical individualist who started his own mail company in order to challenge the monopoly held by the US government. He wrote on the constitutionality of slavery, natural law, trial by jury, intellectual property, paper currency, and banking.


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Last Rights: The Death of American Liberty

Last Rights: The Death of American Liberty

Americans today have “freedom” to be fleeced, groped, injected, harassed, surveilled, vilified, disarmed, beaten, detained, and maybe shot by federal agents. From hapless homeowners hit by SWAT raids to pandemic lockdowns pointlessly paralyzing lives, government...

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