Description
The first edition of an Address of the Free Constitutionalists to the People of the United States, published in 1860 by Lysander Spooner. +
An attack on the major political parties during the 1860 election, following the Dred Scott decision.
Octavo, 54pp. Original wraps, bound at the spine with string. The first printing, published in September; a second edition was published in November. Light sunning along top edge, faint foxing to both covers, text block solid. Internally clean.
(Sabin 397) (Sabin 89604) (Afro-Americana, 87) (Not in Dumond)
A scarce work, with only two known copies to reach the public market.
This address was issued at the height of the 1860 presidential election. Spooner and his allies argued that the U.S. Constitution, properly interpreted, was an anti-slavery document and that federal and state governments had a moral and legal duty to end slavery. The address condemned both major parties for tolerating or enabling the institution and called on citizens to support a new political movement grounded in natural rights and individual liberty. It reflected Spooner’s broader belief in using legal arguments to oppose slavery and promote justice.
