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Today in history, on Oct. 5, 1751, James Iredell was born. A brilliant figure of the founding era, he was a legal prodigy at an extremely young age, and played an integral role in North Carolina’s transition from colonialism to republicanism. Just prior to the American War for Independence, he penned the pamphlet called “To the Inhabitants of Great Britain,” which espoused his constitutional arguments against the British concept of Parliamentary sovereignty.
The colonists fought a war to tie government down. Under British rule, government had become more and more arbitrary. Parliament and the King could issue edicts and pass laws detached from any absolute guiding principles. Americans called this tyranny. In the British system, the constitution evolved. Government was not limited by anything other than its own will. In fact, the government itself established constitutional principles as it went.
One of the greatest legal minds of the founding generation was also one of the most reserved and unobtrusive. On many levels, James Iredell differed from his peers. Outspoken Federalist from New York, John Jay, became the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Prominent Virginia Governor Edmund Randolph was selected by George Washington to be the first Attorney General. Patrick Henry, who was an incredibly effective lawyer, became known as one of the greatest orators of his time.
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