# Congress — No Treason character guide

> Congress in No Treason by Lysander Spooner.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** their

**First appearance:** 0000-introductory

## Snapshot

The legislative body whose claimed authority over consent and treason Spooner scrutinizes, testing whether its power rests on agreement or mere assertion.

## Who they are

As the institutional voice of the United States, Congress stands opposite the individual whose consent Spooner says must be personal and voluntary. The tension lies in whether a government can define and punish treason without first proving that the accused ever bound himself to obey it. That unresolved conflict shapes the book's early challenge to political authority and sets up its case for liberty.

## Relationships

### [D](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/characters/d)

_rivalry_

Congress as an institution is a primary enemy of D.

## In the story

### [No Treason](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/no-treason)

Portrayed as the body that enacts treason statutes and wages war, acting beyond its constitutional authority.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/i)

Enacts treason statutes and presumes consent of the governed without actual consent.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/iv)

Referenced indirectly as the body that declared independence, acting as revolutionists.

### [II: The Constitution](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/ii-the-constitution)

Implied as the body that enacted the treason statute expanding the constitutional definition, referenced in the context of government overreach.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/i)

Not directly mentioned in this chapter; included as a placeholder but not present in excerpts.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/ii)

Implied as the body that enacted the treason statute and defined the crime.

### [Chapter III: Treason, Allegiance, and the Constitution](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/iii)

Enacted a treason statute that unconstitutionally attempts to presume allegiance based on birth.

### [The Treason Swindle and the War for Slavery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/x)

The governing body that administers the government and assumes the swindling intentions of the Constitution's authors.

### [VI: The Constitution of No Authority](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/vi-the-constitution-of-no-authority)

The legislative body that enacts laws and is part of the secret government apparatus.

### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/iii)

Part of the secret band of robbers and murderers that calls itself 'the government' and demands taxes.

### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/v)

Implied as the body that administers the supposed contract and is made wholly irresponsible.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/vi)

Portrayed as holding absolute, irresponsible power over the people, acting as masters rather than servants.

### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/x)

Part of the secret band of robbers and murderers, acting as agents without credentials.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/ii)

The body whose members take the oath, acting as agents of a secret band.

### [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/xvi)

Implicitly referenced as the body that appoints ambassadors and senators.

### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/xvii)

Described as a few persons pretending to represent the people but actually representing a secret band of robbers and murderers.

### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/xviii)

The legislative body that acts as a tool of the wealthy moneylenders.

### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/chapters/xix)

Described as a mere tool of the blood-money lenders, unable to resist their demands.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/characters/congress
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/no_treason_se/characters