William Blackstone, Part 1

Sir William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England had a tremendous influence on the US Constitution. From these volumes our Founding Fathers derived "the laws of nature and of nature's God," life and liberty as natural rights (preserved in our 5th and 14th Amendments), the pursuit of happiness, "separation of powers" and "checks and balances." It's a far cry from what we have today -- not many people know William Blackstone or see any hint of his influence on the original America. Our Founding Fathers ran things by a different system -- principles. And those principles were derived from the Bible and the common law. In the next few posts, I will share some of what Blackstone had to say about laws and from whence they come. This is not just a history lesson, but a lesson in how America was founded.