Consent and Voluntary Government

Where it surfaces

• Introductory

  The chapter asserts that true government rests on consent, and that the North's war principle destroys the foundation of free government.

• I

  The Constitution is framed as a voluntary compact among individuals; without ongoing consent, the government becomes illegitimate.

• I

  The chapter examines the principle that government should rest on consent, contrasting it with the North's reliance on force.

• Chapter III

  Argues that nations and governments can only rightfully exist by the consent of individuals, not by force or majority rule.

• IV

  The chapter insists that legitimate government requires the separate, individual consent of every person subject to it, and that the Revolution established this as a universal principle.

• II: The Constitution

  Central theme: the Constitution derives authority from consent, and no one can be bound to support a government without their voluntary pledge.

• I

  The chapter argues that the Constitution is a voluntary contract requiring actual individual consent, and that without it, government is mere robbery.

• II

  The chapter contrasts voluntary association with forced allegiance, emphasizing that government authority should rest on consent, not force.

• Chapter III: Treason, Allegiance, and the Constitution

  The Constitution's authority derives wholly from consent; no one can owe allegiance without personal agreement.

• IV

  Emphasizes that treason requires voluntary pledge of faith, which cannot be presumed without individual consent.

• VI

  The chapter defines free government solely by its dependence on voluntary support, contrasting it with coercion.

• XI

  The chapter directly attacks the pretense of establishing government by consent while presuming consent from those who have not given it.

• VI: The Constitution of No Authority

  The chapter denies that taxation or voting constitutes voluntary consent to the Constitution, arguing that both are coerced.

• I

  Emphasizes that only voluntary consent (e.g., voting or paying taxes) could create obligation, not inherited documents.

• II

  The chapter systematically dismantles the idea that voting implies voluntary consent to the Constitution, arguing that voting is often coerced by necessity.

• Chapter III

  The chapter denies that taxation implies consent, arguing that compulsory payment under threat invalidates any claim of voluntary support for the Constitution.

• Chapter X

  The chapter denies that any government rests on consent or compact, asserting that the alleged principals never appointed agents in an open authentic manner.

• II

  The chapter emphasizes that oaths and government authority require mutual recognition and consent, which are absent when representatives are chosen secretly and without individual agreement.

• XII

  The chapter emphasizes that no voluntary contract formed the association 'the people of the United States,' rendering oaths of allegiance invalid.

• XIV

  Oaths extorted by force violate the principle that government must rest on voluntary consent.

• Chapter XVI

  The chapter emphasizes that treaties lack validity because there is no open, written evidence of consent from the people.