“No Treason” by Lysander Spooner – Summary

The main ideas behind Lysander Spooner’s “No Treason” essays are his argument that the U.S. Constitution is not a valid social contract and that the U.S. government has no legitimate authority over individuals.

Spooner argues that the U.S. Constitution was not agreed upon by a unanimous vote of the people and that those who did not vote for the Constitution or were not born at the time of its ratification cannot be bound by its provisions. He also argues that the U.S. government is not a legitimate authority because it was not formed through voluntary agreement or consent of the governed.

Spooner believes that the U.S. government is a coercive institution that relies on violence and the threat of violence to maintain its power over individuals. He argues that taxation is a form of theft because it is imposed without the consent of the taxpayer and that the government’s claim to authority over individuals is based solely on the threat of violence.

Overall, Spooner’s “No Treason” essays are a critique of the legitimacy of the U.S. government and a call for individuals to reject the authority of the state and to resist its attempts to coerce and control their lives. His ideas have been influential in the development of libertarian and anarchist thought and continue to be debated by scholars and activists today.