Lysander Spooner

It is especially worthy of notice that, in some, if not in all, the conventions that ratified the constitution, although the ratification was accompanied by such urgent recommendations of amendments, and by an almost absolute assurance…

No one of these natural rights can be taken from any man, without doing him an injustice; and no more than these rights can be given to any one, unless by taking from the natural rights of one or more others.

This law is the exact measure, and the only measure, of any and every man's natural rights.

All men's natural rights are co-extensive with natural law, the law of justice; or justice as a science.

And if lawmakers and courts had been as desirous of preserving men's natural rights, as they have been of violating them, they would long ago have found out that, since these amendments, the constitution authorized no lawmaking at all.

These amendments have actually forbidden any lawmaking whatever in violation of men's natural rights.

If these amendments had been obeyed, they would have compelled all congresses and courts to understand that, if the government had any constitutional powers at all, they were simply powers to protect men's natural rights, and not to…

They all proceed upon the principle, that governments have all power, and the people no rights.

There is nothing genuine, nothing real, nothing true, nothing honest, to be found in any of them.

This system of false definitions, false assumptions, and fraud and usurpation generally, runs through all the operations of our governments, State and national.

And yet this same Marshall has done more than any other one man--certainly more than any other man within the last eighty-five years--to make our governments, State and national, what they are.

And we acknowledge that, according to our pledge, you have now a right to require of us that we coerce a fulfilment of them.