Tomorrow - May 14 - brings us another important reason to remember Lysander Spooner, and to reflect upon some of the contributions that he made to 19th century American abolitionism, libertarianism, and legal thought. On a personal note, this is a particularly poignant posting for me as I prepare to say farewell to the town of Lysander, NY, where I have lived for the past four years (I am moving to Walla Walla, WA, where I will be a visiting professor at Whitman College) .
On May 14, 1887, after a remarkable, and long life (Spooner was born in 1808), Lysander Spooner passed away, dying at home - 109 Myrtle Street, Boston - at 1pm, succumbing to "the combined influence of rheumatism and bilious fever" (as reported in the Boston Daily Globe). Spooner was laid to rest at Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston, a cemetery which is the final resting place of many prominent members of the antislavery community.
This year, in memory of Spooner, I want to quote from one of the last letters that Spooner received (possibly the last - it is certainly the last that has survived).
On February 24, 1887, James Redpath, himself an important abolitionist, wrote to Spooner. The years 1887 and 1888 were not kind to Redpath, ill health curtailed his speaking activities; consequently, corresponding with other members of the antislavery community became even more important for him. However, at the time of writing to Spooner, Redpath had not yet fallen ill, unlike Spooner whose health had already started to fail him. Therefore, we can imagine that he welcomed any and all correspondence:
N.Y. Feb 24, 1887
My Dear Mr. Spooner,
I seem to have neglected you: but the truth is, I have not had a moment to myself since I last saw you. I have been traveling by night & day & speaking every evening.
Mrs Thompson is inaccessible as far as I am concerned – that is, I have not had a chance to see her. I am only resting today & I am off again on a longer lecture tour than my last.
When I return if it is not too late I shall do what I can for the able essay you send to me.
Very truly Yours,
James Redpath.
Unfortunately, there is no indication as to what the essay was, but since Spooner was truly a remarkable individual, never willing to compromise on his controversial and oftentimes unconventional views, we can assume that it was not an expression of conservative and traditional views. Whether writing about anarchism or abolitionism, jury nullification or intellectual property rights, he offered fiercely logical arguments, many of which remain, to this day, of considerable influence for many legal scholars. Spooner's correspondence makes it clear that he was, as someone once remarked to me, a "crusty old fellow." He frequently alienated his correspondents by, inter alia, accusing them of plagiarizing his works. As a result, Spooner always believed that his work was far more important and valuable than people ever gave him credit for. Regardless of whether you agree with his libertarian views, you will probably find something to admire in Spooner's refusal to follow the 'in crowd' in order to become popular.
May Spooner rest in peace - safe in the knowledge that people continue to take his views seriously.
(For my latest article about Spooner's originalist reading of the U.S. Constitution, which is about to be published in the NYU Jnl of Law & Liberty, see here.)
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