No Treason · Chapters

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Chapter companions for No Treason by Lysander Spooner.

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Chapter 1
Introductory
The chapter distinguishes the question of treason from that of slavery, arguing that the North's war principle—that men may be compelled to support a government they do not want—is self-evidently false and fatal to political freedom. It contends that this principle, if established, transforms all subjects into political slaves, and calls for either rejecting it as unconstitutional or overthrowing the Constitution itself.
Chapter 2
No Treason
The chapter argues that the concept of treason, as applied to the Southern states, is invalid because the Constitution was a voluntary compact among individuals, not states, and that the federal government's actions against the South constitute a breach of that compact, revealing the government as based on force rather than consent.
Chapter 3
I
The chapter argues that the U.S. Constitution has no inherent authority over living individuals, as it was a contract among people now dead, who had no right to bind their posterity. It contends that the Constitution's language does not compel future generations, and that any obligation must arise from voluntary acts like voting or paying taxes.
Chapter 4
I
The chapter argues that the U.S. Constitution has no inherent authority over living individuals, as it was a contract among people now dead, who had no right to bind their posterity. It contends that the Constitution's language does not compel future generations, and that any obligation must arise from voluntary acts like voting or paying taxes.
Chapter 5
II
The chapter argues that oaths taken by members of Congress to support the Constitution are legally and morally void because they are given to no identifiable party. It contends that the secret ballot and lack of individual consent or contract between representatives and the people create a system of secret government by unknown robbers and murderers, rendering any oath of office a pledge to nobody.

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Introductory

No Treason

I

I

II