Lysander Spooner
American abolitionist, lawyer and individualist anarchist (1808–1887); wrote No Treason.
At a glance
Main ideas
Government needs consent, Vices are not crimes, Each his own employer …
See all 5Books to start with
The Unconstitutionality of Slavery, An Essay on Trial by Jury, A Plan for the Abolition of Slavery …
See all 6Connections
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Spooner was an American abolitionist, lawyer, essayist, natural-rights legal theorist and political philosopher.
- He is identified with individualist anarchism and the Boston anarchist tradition, and supported the labor movement.
- His The Unconstitutionality of Slavery argued that the Constitution did not support slavery.
- In No Treason he argued that the Constitution had no authority over people who never consented to it.
- He also founded the American Letter Mail Company to compete with the Post Office.
Why it matters
- His writings contributed to both left- and right-libertarian theory; the Supreme Court quoted The Unconstitutionality of Slavery in District of Columbia v.
- Heller (2008).
Key facts
- Born
- 19 Jan 1808, Athol, Massachusetts1
- Died
- 14 May 1887, 109 Myrtle Street, Boston, aged 791
- Law
- Opened a practice in Worcester after three years' study instead of the five required of non-graduates; the restriction was abolished in 18361
- American Letter Mail Company
- Founded 1844 to compete with the Post Office; put out of business by an 1851 law1
- Abolitionism
- Supported John Brown and his raid on Harpers Ferry1
Main ideas
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Government needs consent2
A government that claims to rest on consent cannot bind those who never gave it.
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Vices are not crimes1
Vices harm oneself; crimes harm others; punishing vices is an absurdity.
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Each his own employer1
He opposed wage labor and wanted each person to work directly for himself.
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Juries, not legislatures1
He proposed voluntary associations whose disputes are settled by juries of twelve.
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Slavery was unconstitutional2
The Constitution's text contains no admission of slavery or property in man.
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
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The Unconstitutionality of Slavery1
Argued the Constitution did not support slavery.
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An Essay on Trial by Jury1
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A Plan for the Abolition of Slavery1
Urged action against slaveholders in the South.
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No Treason No. VI: The Constitution of No Authority2
The Constitution as a contract that binds no one alive.
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Vices Are Not Crimes1
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Natural Law, or the Science of Justice1
Connections
Links
Sources
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