Thomas Jefferson Papers

Thomas Jefferson to John E. Hall, 8 August 1821

To John E. Hall

Monticello Aug. 8. 21.

Sir

I recieved lately the 2d & 3d Nos of the American Law journal of the present year. as I have long since [ceas]ed to read in that line, I inclose you 5.D. the price of the whole volume, and would wish to decline any future volumes. if indeed you should publish the case of Cohens v. Virginia with the able answers to that of Algernon Sidney, Somers, & Fletcher which appeared in the Enquirer, I should be glad of a copy. a more important case I presume you have never published[.]1 I salute you with esteem and respect.

Th: Jefferson

PoC (DLC); on verso of a reused address cover from Bernard Peyton to TJ; one word faint; at foot of text: “Mr John E. Hall”; endorsed by TJ. Recorded in SJL with additional bracketed notation: “5.D.”

TJ had received the second and third numbers of a new series of the american law journal edited by Hall and entitled the Journal of Jurisprudence. For the responses to Cohens v. Virginia written by Spencer Roane under the pseudonym of algernon sidney, see Roane to TJ, 20 June 1821. Those written by Peyton Randolph (d. 1828) under the name of somers were printed in the Richmond Enquirer, 15, 22 May, 1, 12, 19, 29 June, 13 July 1821 (W. Ray Luce, Cohens v. Virginia (1821): The Supreme Court and State Rights, a Reevaluation of Influences and Impacts [1990], 166–9). A series of articles signed as by fletcher of Saltoun was published in the Richmond Enquirer, 22, 26 June, 3, 6 July 1821.

1Edge trimmed.

Index Entries

  • Cohens v. Virginia search
  • Hall, John Elihu; editsJournal of Jurisprudence search
  • Hall, John Elihu; letters to search
  • Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; subscriptions search
  • Journal of Jurisprudence search
  • law; books on search
  • Randolph, Peyton (d.1828); andCohens v. Virginia search
  • Richmond Enquirer (newspaper); prints essays onCohens v. Virginia search
  • Roane, Spencer; andCohens v. Virginia search
  • subscriptions, for publications; journals search
  • Supreme Court, U.S.; andCohens v. Virginia search
  • “Fletcher of Saltoun” (pseudonym); essays onCohens v. Virginia search