“There is no Liberty without Law” Lecture given by Peter Gray before the Houston Lyceum February 28th, 1853

File — Box: 1, Folder: 14

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection: The Judge Peter W. Gray papers include extensive handwritten documents on several of Gray’s early Texas district court cases, lectures, speeches, and official documents concerning the creation and organization of the Texas Historical Society. Court cases relate to murder, slavery, counterfeiting, the legal nature of circumstantial evidence and self defense; the notes related to these cases are generally Judge Gray’s direction to juries. The speeches include a speech given by Gray at the Democratic Convention in Austin in 1852 for the nomination of Sam Houston for the presidency.

Dates

1841-1870

Access Restriction

This material is open for research.

Conditions Governing Access

Stored offsite at the Library Service Center and require 24-hour notice for retrieval. Please contact the Woodson Research Center at 713-348-2586 or woodson@rice.edu for more information.

Extent

From the Collection: 0.50 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

General note

Peter Gray gives an intelligent discussion of the strengths of the United States’ government. He begins by informing the reader of the many subtle differences between liberty and freedom and the way each word was used in antiquity; namely in the republics of Greece and Rome. Then Gray begins to dissect our government by branch beginning with the Executive branch and discussing similar organs in other governments. Throughout his discussion of both the Executive branch and the Legislative branch, Gray marginalizes their combined importance in protecting the right of the average citizen from tyranny. Gray suggests that the revolutionary aspect of the United States’ government is the individuals right to hold the government accountable for damages and infringements on the charter of the government: the Constitution. Gray then proceeds with a lengthy discussion of the Judiciary and its supreme importance to our government and individual liberty and freedom in the United States. Gray cites interesting examples from Britain and France such as Richelieu, Napoleon the Great, Napoleon III, The Directory, The Reign of Terror, Oliver Cromwell, and several British common law cases that embody the difference between the British limited monarchy and the American democracy. The essay is 49 pages long in script from the period. The actual document is in pristine condition and represents the writings of the educated southern gentry in the antebellum period in United States history.