James Wilson Institute (FYI My Fellow Patriots!-ED) Dear Fellow Patriot, We all know that government does not exist to create new rights, least of all a right to do a wrong. Founding father James Wilson, during the drafting and ratification of the Constitution, proclaimed that the object of the Constitution was to acquire a new security for the possession or the recovery of those rights we already possess by nature. In an exchange with Wilson, the great William Blackstone had famously said that, on entering civil society, we give up those unqualified rights we had in the state of nature, including the liberty of doing mischief. To which Wilson asked, Is it part of natural liberty to do mischief to anyone? In other words, as Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Aquinas had it, we never had a right to do a wrong. Even in the state of nature we did not have a right to murder or rape, and therefore as we entered civil society, the laws that barred people from murdering and raping never barred them from anything they ever had a rightful liberty to do. And so, what rights did we give up on entering civil society? The answer given by Wilson and Alexander Hamilton was: none. As Hamilton said in Federalist 84, Here, in strictness, the people surrender nothing. At the James Wilson Institute on Natural Rights and the American Founding, we believe that the same moral reasoning employed at the founding is in dire need to be taught to todays generation of lawyers, judges, and citizens. As an organization conservative in its character, it is important to make clear what we are trying to preserve. It is the understanding that the origin of our rights come not from government, but rather from our very existence as human beings in a just and free society. As Chief Justice John Marshall explained at the Founding in the famous case of Fletcher v. Peck, there exist certain wrongs that do not depend on the Constitution for their being deemed unjust, but rather in principles that are antecedent to the Constitution. These are the principles that collectively form the reason and logic at the heart of our regime, that give a coherence to the amendments in the Bill of Rights, but not limited to those. They are understandings such as it is wrong to hold people blameworthy for actions or characteristics they are powerless to affect and that which we may not do directly, we may not do indirectly. Any regime under a rule of law that rejects these axioms must be illegitimate. Thus, the challenge in our time is twofold: teaching the objective moral principles of at the foundation of this country that no longer are widely taught in our universities and correcting the misunderstanding that our rights come from government. We are meeting this challenge by drawing out audiences for lectures, seminars, fellowships, and informal gatherings around the country. Do you think you might be able to help us with a contribution of $50, $100, or $200? Under the direction of our founder, Prof. Hadley Arkes of Amherst College, we have developed a regular slate of programs in the past year. The centerpiece has been a biannual gathering of distinguished federal judges along with gifted philosophers of law and promising young lawyers in an academic conference setting we call the James Wilson Seminar. The day long sessions feature examinations of moral principles at the heart of the law and aim to give a more coherent account of the law. The sessions have built a momentum of their own, and are attracting the attendance of an even wider cluster of luminaries. This summer, we were pleased to offer our most ambitious program yet: a weeklong fellowship in natural law jurisprudence co-sponsored with our friends from the Christian legal ministry Alliance Defending Freedom. Ten accomplished young lawyers and law students with an interest or experience in constitutional law joined us in Naples, FL to learn from Prof. Arkes and his friends in 25 intensive sessions. Our fellows learned approaches to the law which are no longer widely taught in college and law school. After our week together, they voiced an enthusiasm to educate their future colleagues, including the judges and professors with whom many will work. In Washington and throughout the country, we have found audiences captivated by Prof. Arkes, as he has expounded the ideas of the American founders using the lens of natural law. The moment is clearly ripe to teach anew these principles at the heart of the Founding. The work of our small organization is poised to take off-and thats where you can help. The Institute has as its goal to raise $20,000 in the next two months in order to support specific initiatives that would aim to grow our audience and capabilities as an emerging force as a principled conservative organization. As a rough guide to how your contributions can directly support our programming: $1,000 supports an intern to work with us in Washington spreading our teachings amongst congressional staff, public policy professionals, and to the public at large $500 supports an entire breakfast briefing on Capitol Hill with up to 100 attendees $250 supports the average cost of reading materials for each of our Fellows $100 supports promotional materials and advertising for each of our events Any amount helps. As a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charity, your contribution is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. By donating, you are ensuring that the same moral reasoning employed by the American founders is articulated by todays members of the legal class and tomorrows generation of conservative minds. Sincerely, Your Friends at the James Wilson Institute P.S. As a benefit to all of our first time donors of $50 or more, we will be sending you a signed copy of Prof. Arkess Natural Law Manifesto beautifully printed in the Notre Dame Law Review. James Wilson Institute © 2013 The James Wilson Institute 1730 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Suite 212 | Washington DC 20036 Phone: 202-760-3220 | Fax: 202-733-6846
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 20:20:52 +0000
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