Lysander Spooner vs the Fugitive Slave Act
Author of one of the most widely circulated and read abolitionist books, Lysander Spooner railed against the constitutionality of slavery in the mid-19th Century. Included was his takedown of the Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850 – with 7 main objections...
Prelude to Nullification and Freedom: The Pennsylvania Abolition Society
Personal Liberty Laws in response to the Federal Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850 were some of the most successful and important nullification efforts in history. But they didn’t come out of nowhere. Quaker opposition to slavery had a long tradition and led to the...
Trial by Jury: Defense Against Tyranny
An ancient right, the Founders considered the jury trial to be not just essential for liberty, but possibly the most important check on government power. As Thomas Jefferson put it: “I consider trial by jury as the only anchor ever yet imagined by man by which a...