Lysander Spooner
Lysander Spooner | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 19, 1808 Athol, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | May 14, 1887 (aged 79) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, lawyer and writer |
| Subject | Political philosophy |
| Notable works | The Unconstitutionality of Slavery (1845) No Treason (1867) |
| Philosophical work | |
| Era | 19th-century philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Iusnaturalism |
| Main interests | |
| Part of a series on |
| Individualism |
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Lysander Spooner (January 19, 1808 – May 14, 1887) was an American abolitionist, entrepreneur, lawyer, essayist, natural rights legal theorist, pamphleteer, political philosopher, and writer often associated with the Boston anarchist tradition.
Spooner was a strong advocate of the labor movement and is politically identified with individualist anarchism. His writings contributed to the development of both left-libertarian and right-libertarian political theory. Spooner's writings include the abolitionist book The Unconstitutionality of Slavery and No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority, which opposed treason charges against secessionists.
He is known for establishing the American Letter Mail Company, which competed with the United States Postal Service.