222-223. (second edition: Philadelphia: W.W. Woodward, 1802), Vol. "This directly points out to us, that a barter of commodities, or communication of the fruits of industry, is the first principle or rather indeed constitutes the essence of commerce. ", "How absurd and contemptible then is the reasoning which we of late have seen frequently in print, viz, the gold and silver is going away from us, therefore we must have paper to supply its place. John Witherspoon (February 5, 1723 – November 15, 1794) was a Scottish American Presbyterian minister and a Founding Father of the United States. Another outstanding post by Bill Federer, what a gift Mr. Federer is to America!!!! ‘°Ibid., p. 225. As a rugged Scotsman by birth, Rev. 235, 236. As president of the College of New Jersey (1768–94; now Princeton University), he trained many leaders of the early nation and was the only active … It has been found, by the experience of ages, that money must have a standard of value, and if any prince or state debase the metal below the standard, it is utterly impossible to make it succeed.”, "Let us examine this matter a little more fully. John Witherspoon in 1776, "in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. ", "Hence it may be seen, that the resolution of the question, whether it is proper to have paper money at all or not, depends entirely upon another, viz. "2 This excellent work gives hindsight, insight, and foresight into economic problems—the same problems faced by the United States in the 20th century. Without this it may be something else, and have some other binding force, but it is not a contract. Gold, say others, as to intrinsic value, is not so good as iron which can be applied to many more useful purposes.”, "These persons have not attended to the nature of commercial value, which is a compound ratio of its use and scarceness. Witherspoon understood the inseparable tie between political freedom and spiritual freedom. 451 0 obj <> endobj Besides urging individuals to seek their eternal welfare, he emphasized individual responsibility in the present, temporal life: "I exhort all who are not called to go into the field to apply themselves with the utmost diligence to works of industry. John Witherspoon was born in Scotland on February 5, 1723. Accordingly we found in this country, and every other society who ever tried such measures found, that they produced an effect directly contrary to what was expected from them. When Rev. As a student of the Scriptures, he recognized that God did not compel men to accept Him. The measures had only made food and supplies even more scarce. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. IV, p. 203. "12. John Witherspoon was born in Scotland on February 5, 1723. Paper money was always Wither-spoon’s thorn in the side. Paper money was always Wither-spoon’s thorn in the side. ", "It seems to me, that those who cry out for emitting paper money by the legislatures, should take some pains to state clearly the difference between this and the European countries, and point out the reasons why it would be serviceable here, and hurtful there. . Why should nations fear printed bills as legal tender? In May 1776, Rev. Today, there is still a "sharpsightedness" on the part of individuals who are left free to manage their own interests. 783-784. Witherspoon embraced the concepts of Scottish common sense realism, and while president of the College of New Jersey, became an influential figure in the development of the United States national character. John Knox Witherspoon (February 5, 1723 – November 15, 1794) was a Scots Presbyterian minister and a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New Jersey. His distaste for printed bills was founded upon firm economic judgment, and he was ready to defend precious metals. He traced most economic difficulties to the conflict between freedom and coercion. To give, therefore, authority or nominal value by law to any money, is interposing by law, in commerce, and is precisely the same thing with laws regulating the prices of commodities, of which, in their full extent, we had sufficient experience during the war. Witherspoon began attending the University of Edinburgh at age fourteen. ( … But if you make a law that I shall be obliged to, "Perhaps I ought rather to have said that they cannot be directed by it, but they may be greatly counteracted; as people have naturally a strong disposition to resist force, and to escape from constraint. Are there any who refuse it when it is good? Likewise, he saw that God meant for individuals to have political and economic freedom in the earthly life. In 1994 the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), named Witherspoon and a Coast Guard colleague Cynthia M. Morris, as recipients of the Roy Wilkins Meritious Service Award for their achievements in civil rights. If we limit one article, we must limit everything, and this is impossible. That is to say, the person who offers any thing to sale, does it because he has it to spare, and he thinks it would be better for him to have the money, or some other commodity, than what he parts with; and he who buys, in like manner, thinks it would be better for him to receive the commodity, than to retain the money."17. The individual’s "industry"—his daily labor or his business—might bring in more greenbacks, but their value will be shrinking. One of the essential conditions of a lawful contract, and indeed the first of them, is, that it be, "Thus we know, that in cities, in case of a fire, sometimes a house, without the consent of its owner, will be destroyed to prevent the whole from being consumed. Money is itself a commodity. increases the price of industry and its fruits. Witherspoon spoke to the average American on the occasion of the General Fast, a day of fasting and prayer. John Witherspoon clip from his DVD YOU GOT TO COORDINATE This is how u act like wen u get hit in a head with a billy stick Freedom of exchange! "Let us then begin," he says, "by considering what gave rise to money, and what is its nature and use? As society increases, the partition of employments is greatly diversified; but still the fruits of well directed industry, or the things necessary and useful in life are what only can be called wealth. If it is necessary to force them, does not this system produce a most ludicrous inversion of the nature of things. ), The Spirit of Seventy-Six (New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1967), pp. The true patriot today is one "who guides his affairs with discretion." John Witherspoon. When proposals for price-fixing came up, he protested vigorously —both in speech and print. What is the basis for a productive, creative society? 4Ibid.,p. Varnum Lansing Collins, President Witherspoon, 2 vols. Without entering into the nicer distinctions of writers upon this subject, it is sufficient for me to say, that commerce, or buying and selling, is found upon that species of contracts that is most formal and complete. Describing himself as a "Jersey Farmer," Dr. Witherspoon advised the Commander-in-Chief that several states had already tried to set prices by law. The Weiquan movement is a non-centralized group of lawyers, legal experts, and intellectuals in China who seek to protect and defend the civil rights of the citizenry through litigation and legal activism. �����ME� U�Y��o�`%�f2���+�l;�ʁvU�lʼV-�;��Rz�l�qy~~����g^���:��9ޕK�nC��ω�\� � �P$ l� Like most Americans, Witherspoon was at first slow to embrace the cause of independence, hoping instead for a reconciliation of the two countries based on the restoration of full English rights for the colonials—in particular, the right of their own little parliaments to tax them and make their laws, under the overall jurisdiction of the king. People do not bring these to market, because they are in superabundant plenty. To give, therefore, authority or nominal value by law to any money, is interposing by law, in commerce, and is precisely the same thing with laws regulating the prices of commodities, of which, in their full extent, we had sufficient experience during the war. Thus, the Princeton preacher applies the principle of voluntary action and personal choice to commercial enterprises: "Well! Perhaps it would give offense if I should say, it is an absurdity reserved for American legislatures; no such thing having ever been attempted in the old countries. He traced most economic difficulties to the conflict between freedom and coercion. "Experience," he warns, "has every where justified the remark, that wherever paper is introduced in large quantities, the gold and silver vanishes universally. 210. Vol. 1. Source: Political Sermons of the American Founding Era: 1730-1805, 2 vols, Foreword by Ellis Sandoz (2nd ed. "To fix the prices of goods, especially provisions in a market," he wrote, "is as impracticable as it is unreasonable.". II, p. 427, "The Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men.". It is intended to tell part of the story of the early American understanding of religious liberty, and to leave to the reader its bearing upon the current controversy, so utterly wrongly pictured by many as a “Catholic” issue or one merely about moral and sexual matters. Consequently, America had to fight both the British Army and the evils of inflation and price-fixing. He memorably played Ice Cube’s father in the "Friday" films. Witherspoon does not speak of a need for government compulsion in commerce: "Among all civilians, the transactions of commerce are ranged under the head of contracts. (Philadelphia: W.W. Woodward, 1800(, Vol. It is not uncommon to see a man who appears to be almost as stupid as a stone, and yet he shall be as adroit and dextrous in making a bargain, or even more so, than a man of the first rate understanding, who probably, for that very reason, is less attentive to trifling circumstances, and less under the government of mean and selfish views. The movement, which began in the early 2000s, has organized demonstrations, sought reform via the legal system and media, defended victims of human rights abuses, and written … . The featured image is a detail from John Witherspoon (1794) by Rembrandt Peale (1778–1860), after a painting by Charles Willson Peale (1741–1827), and is in the public domain, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. If the gold and silver is indeed going away from us, that is to say, if the balance of trade is much against us, the paper medium has a direct tendency to increase the evil, and send it away by a quicker pace. Liberty was in the balance—would Americans be ruled by oppressive government authority or would they be free to accept their just right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"? Man’s temporal rights—"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"—were God-given. What would one of those who were stifled in the black hole at Calcutta, have given to get but near a window for a little air? h�b```f``����� %� € ",l@�q�����D�.� ����Y�m`����a�����(�7��O0f�N8}�ͽ;��� a��mpy��w�5�Θ ", "The evil is this: All paper introduced into circulation, and obtaining credit as gold and silver, adds to the quantity of the medium, and thereby . Looking back upon the inflation of the war, he wrote in, "I observe, that to arm such bills with the authority of the state, and make them a legal tender in all payments, is an absurdity so great, that [it] is not easy to speak with propriety upon it. Behind the different attempts at controlling prices was the staggering inflation. Who, then, should regulate prices? Witherspoon preached his sermon during the critical period of our War for Independence. Actor John Witherspoon, best known for his roles in the "Friday" franchise, posted a video to his YouTube channel hours before died Tuesday at 77. "Ibid., p. 226. John Witherspoon.1 Though the story is apocryphal, it illustrates the patriotic leadership of this Presbyterian minister and the level of respect accorded him by his generation. u�����U3X��q�,R��H}�wٴ3]d��~V,JZ�zhk+�h��JD*��?�\w �˛�e��P�ZP��T�1S����9P�2u�Ի/��4�%(f ���-�T�wN׽�%�Ă��1��rz&�غ��F=��J�~P�D��9��:]�}C�둇A��,[%��`j��TȺ�{(G��H/l��˕�H�w�εr+��ʹ��U�%W�e��_�l It is widely regarded as one of the principal sermons that prepared the way for the Declaration of Independence, a document that Witherspoon himself—the lone clergymen—would sign on July 4, 1776. But if you make a law that I shall be obliged to sell my grain, my cattle, or any commodity, at a certain price, you not only do what is unjust and impolitic, but with all respect be it said, you speak nonsense; for I do not sell them at all: you take them from me. Sharp-minded but humble, he had the gift of aggressive, orderly thought. John Witherspoon (1723-1794) was a Presbyterian minister and a college president. ", With regard to attempts at corrupting a nation’s currency, Witherspoon observed that "the only thing resembling it in the English history is, James the second coining base metal, and affixing a price to it by proclamation; a project contemptible in the contrivance, and abortive in the execution. Serving as a member of Congress during the war, he spent fewer hours preaching from the pulpit. Habits of industry prevailing in a society not only increase its wealth, as their immediate effect, but they prevent the introduction of many vices, and are intimately connected with sobriety and good morals. With regard to attempts at corrupting a nation’s currency, Witherspoon observed that "the only thing resembling it in the English history is, James the second coining base metal, and affixing a price to it by proclamation; a project contemptible in the contrivance, and abortive in the execution. During this period, he attempted to bring sound economic wisdom to Congressional deliberations. ", "Well! An estimated $200 million of paper money had been issued by 1781. —John Witherspoon, 1776 He was a father figure to America’s Founding Fathers. %%EOF The Witherspoon Society is a body of laypeople within the Presbyterian Church (USA) in existence since 1979 that is activist in liberal and progressive causes that takes its name from John Witherspoon. Please do not edit the piece, ensure that you attribute the author and mention that this article was originally published on FEE.org, "There is not a single instance in history," declared Rev. His death last month left a gaping hole in the fabric of American civil rights activism. D3�]9�s�/)�)��r��H���s���b�ӷb��-�:��w��k�m�v��`6���jý��ʿ���/�?�_��ei�S�dt:�$�G:Y��dʏ�d��7��!md���h����Ն��ֻ/�:N� C����S�f�°�P�t���!6��>˳�馍 �$vNr2國�(�#�z��j0��L6h^�٣�x陝�rn[��s�� pdWNF΋�9��W9����9^�D~�T۠����O���j>5�o�]���B��$ƿ�. The ingredients are goods and services, money, freedom, and the willingness of the individual to cooperate voluntarily with his fellow man. Not the dictates of government, but individual initiative! Looking back upon the inflation of the war, he wrote in Essay on Money: "I observe, that to arm such bills with the authority of the state, and make them a legal tender in all payments, is an absurdity so great, that [it] is not easy to speak with propriety upon it. He went on to embrace the revolutionary cause. They are called in the technical language, Onerous contracts, where the proper and just value issupposed to be given or promised, on both sides. Habits of industry prevailing in a society not only increase its wealth, as their immediate effect, but they prevent the introduction of many vices, and are intimately connected with sobriety and good morals. Of 1964 ( as amended ) and applicable federal and state laws limit everything, and is! 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