No Treason

No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority is an 1867 essay by American individualist anarchist, political philosopher and legal theorist Lysander Spooner. It is one of his most famous political tracts.

In this lengthy essay, Spooner argues that the United States Constitution is a contract of government (see: social contract theory) which was irreparably violated during the American Civil War, and is thus void. Furthermore, since the government now existing under the Constitution pursued coercive policies that were contrary to the Natural Law and to the consent of the governed, it was demonstrated that the document was unable to adequately stop many abuses against liberty or to prevent tyranny from taking hold. Spooner supports his argument by noting that the Federal government, as established by a legal contract, could not legally bind all persons living in the nation, since none had ever signed their names or given their consent to it – this consent had always been assumed, but it fails the most basic burdens of proof for a valid contract in the courtroom.

Spooner widely circulated the No Treason pamphlets, which also contained a legal defense against the crime of treason itself intended for former Confederate soldiers (hence the name of the pamphlet, arguing that "no treason" had been committed in the war by the south). These excerpts were published in DeBow's Review and some other well known southern periodicals of the time, and Spooner's writings went on to contribute to the development of libertarian political theory in the United States, and were often reprinted in early libertarian journals such as the Rampart Journal.

The libertarian theorist Murray Rothbard, leader of the more modern anarcho-capitalism movement, called No Treason "the greatest case for anarchist political philosophy ever written."^[1]

Notes

1. ^ Call for Papers: Lysander Spooner Bicentenary

External links

• Complete Text of all three published essays
• No Treason at the Ludwig von Mises Institute
• No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority mp3 audio reading by Marc Stevens

This article about an essay or essay collection is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Books about anarchism 1867 essays United States Constitution Essay stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР List of Canisius College people Coup de glotte Look at other dictionaries: treason — trea·son / trēz ən/ n [Anglo French treison crime of violence against a person to whom allegiance is owed, literally, betrayal, from Old French traïson, from traïr to betray, from Latin tradere to hand over, surrender]: the offense of attempting… …   Law dictionary Treason Act — can refer to a number of different laws enacted in a number of different jurisdictions, including: * Treason Act 1351 * Treason Act 1495 * Treasons Act 1534 * Treason Act 1661 * Treason Act 1695 * Treason Act 1702 * Treason Act 1708 * Treason Act …   Wikipedia Treason — Trea son, n. [OE. tresun, treisun, traisoun, OF. tra[ i]son, F. trahison, L. traditio a giving up, a delivering up, fr. tradere to give up, betray. See {Traitor}, and cf. {Tradition}.] 1. The offense of attempting to overthrow the government of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English Treason (disambiguation) — Treason may refer to: * Treason , a 2008 song by M. Pokora from the album MP3 *Treason, the betrayal of a country. * Treason , a 1977 album by the UK group Gryphon. * A Planet Called Treason , a 1979 Orson Scott Card novel republished under the… …   Wikipedia treason — (n.) early 13c., from Anglo Fr. treson, from O.Fr. traison (11c.; Mod.Fr. trahison), from L. traditionem (nom. traditio) a handing over, delivery, surrender (see TRADITION (Cf. tradition)). Old French form influenced by the verb trair betray. In… …   Etymology dictionary Treason, Accusations of — • A common misrepresentation concerning the Elizabethan persecution of English and Irish Catholics from 1570 onwards is the statement that the victims devoted to imprisonment, torture, and death suffered not for their religious belief but for… …   Catholic encyclopedia treason — (also high treason) ► NOUN ▪ the crime of betraying one s country, especially by attempting to kill or overthrow the sovereign or government. DERIVATIVES treasonable adjective treasonous adjective. ORIGIN Old French treisoun, from Latin tradere… …   English terms dictionary treason-felony — see treason n. 4 b …   Useful english dictionary Treason by the Book — by Jonathan Spence is a fast paced historical account of the Zeng Jing case which took place during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng of China, around the 1730s. A treasonous letter delivered to Yue Zhongqi triggers a series of investigations which …   Wikipedia treason-felony — ancient crimes that could be applied to acts, deeds, writing or speaking that have as their aim the deposition of the sovereign, levying war or intimidating parliament. Collins dictionary of law. W. J. Stewart. 2001 …   Law dictionary treason — *sedition Analogous words: revolution, revolt, rebellion, uprising, insurrection: betrayal, deceiving or deception, double crossing (see corresponding verbs at DECEIVE): overthrowing or overthrow, subverting or subversion (see corresponding verbs …   New Dictionary of Synonyms 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”