Lysander Spooner

Lysander Spooner ( born January 19, 1808 in Athol, Massachusetts, † May 14, 1887 in Boston ) was legal philosopher and entrepreneur.

He was an important representative of the American individualist anarchism of the 19th century and opponents of slavery. When his most important works are The Unconstitutionality of Slavery and No Treason. The Constitution of No Authority. The works of Lysander Spooner practice even today, an important influence on the modern libertarianism.

Career

Spooner studied under the renowned lawyers John Davis and Charles Allen law without ever attend college. His career as a lawyer was therefore due to the Laws in Massachusetts illegally, as they called for a study of five years with a lawyer or a college diploma. He opposed the law, opened a law office and spoke out repeatedly against the professional protectionism in all industries from which he saw as protecting the rich from the poor competition. Licenses and restrictions of certain professions he rejected as a violation of freedom of contract.

1844 Spooner founded the American Letter Mail Company which operated in direct competition with the letter monopoly protected by the U.S. Postal Service. The American Letter Mail Company offered Nationwide delivery of letter mail for the price of 6 1/ 4 cents per half ounce to more affordable than the U.S. Postal Service. The litigation under existing letter monopoly forced Spooner in 1851 to the closure of his business.

Works

  • The Deist 's Immortality, and An Essay on Man's Acountability For His Belief (1834 )
  • "To the Members of the Legislature of Massachusetts " (1835 )
  • The Deist 's Reply to the Alleged Supernatural Evidences of Christianity (1836 )
  • The Unconstitutionality of the Laws of Congress, Prohibiting Private Mails (1844 )
  • The Unconstitutionality of Slavery (1845, 1860)
  • Poverty: Its Illegal Causes, and Legal Cure. Part I ( 1846)
  • Who Caused the Reduction of Postage? He Ought To Be Paid? ( 1850)
  • Illegality of the Trial of John W. Webster ( 1850)
  • A Defence for Fugitive Slaves, Against the Acts of Congress of February 12, 1793 & September 18, 1850 ( 1850)
  • An Essay on the Trial by Jury ( 1852)
  • The Law of Intellectual Property (1855 )
  • A Plan for The Abolition of Slavery (and) To The Non- slaveholders of the South (1858 )
  • Address of the Free Constitutionalists to the People of the United States (1860 )
  • A New System of Paper Currency ( 1861)
  • Our Mechanical Industry, As Affected By Our Present Currency System: An Argument for the Author's New System of Paper Currency ( 1862)
  • Articles of Association of the Spooner Copyright Company for Massachusetts (1863 )
  • Letter To Charles Sumner (1864 )
  • Considerations for Bankers, and Holders of United States Bonds ( 1864)
  • No Treason. No. I ( 1867)
  • No Treason. No. II, The Constitution (1867 )
  • No Treason. No. VI, The Constitution of No Authority (1870 )
  • Vices Are Not Crimes: A vindication of Moral Liberty ( 1875)
  • Our Financiers: Their Ignorance, smother, and Frauds (1877 )
  • The Law of Prices: A Demonstration of The Necessity for on Indefinite Increase of Money (1877 )
  • Gold and Silver as Standards of Value: The Flagrant Cheat in Regard to Them (1878 )
  • Universal Wealth Shown to be Easily Attainable. Part First (1879 )
  • Revolution: The Only Remedy for the Oppresed Classes of Ireland, England, and Other Parts of the British Empire. No. 1 (1880 )
  • Natural Law; or The Science of Justice: A Treatise on Natural Law, Natural Justice, Natural Rights, Natural Liberty, and Natural Society; Showing That All Legislation Whatsoever Is An Absurdity, A Usurpation, and A Crime. Part First (1882 )
  • A Letter to Thomas F. Bayard: Challenging His Right - And did of All the Other So-Called Senators and Representative in Congress - To Exercise Any Legislative Power Whatever Over the People of the United States ( 1882)
  • A Letter to Scientists and Inventors, on the Science of Justice, and Their Right of Perpetual Property in Their Disclosures and Inventions (1884 )
  • A Letter to Grover Cleveland, on His False Inaugural Addrewss, The usurpational and Crimes of Lawmakers and Judges, and the Consequent Poverty, Ignorance, and Servitude of the People (1886 )
Abolitionism Integrated Authority File
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