A History Of Liberty: A Tip of the Hat to Lysander Spooner

Way back in 1844, a fellow with the unforgettable name Lysander Spooner started something called The American Letter Mail Company. The idea was that he would compete with the legal monopoly of the US Post Office by doing it faster and cheaper. And he did. In fact, the 3 cent stamp was adopted by the Post Office is response to Lysander’s competition.

Eventually the feds sued The American Letter Mail Company out of existence, citing “Private Express Statutes,” and Lysander moved on with his career as a legal theorist and ‪abolitionist‬, influencing political and legal thinkers to this day.

But the American Letter Mail Company lives on with this homage to a fascinating liberty lover and entrepreneurial activist.

Here's to a remarkable figure in the history of liberty, with an equally remarkable name.