THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL 4 | MARCH 2025 Young Abraham Lincoln was a staunch advocate for the rule of law. Here is an excerpt from his address to the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, on Jan. 27, 1838: Let every American, every lover of liberty, every well wisher to his posterity, swear by the blood of the revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws of this country; and never to tolerate their violation by others. As the patriots of ‘76 did to the support of the Declaration of Independence, so to the support of the Constitution and laws, let every American pledge his life, his property, and his sacred honor – let every man remember that to violate the law, is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the character of his own, and his children’s liberty. Let reverence for the laws, be breathed by every American mother, to the lisping babe, that prattles on her lap – let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in primers, spelling books, and in almanacs – let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation; and let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes and tongues, and colors and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars. The future President Lincoln’s words seem to me to be an expanded version of ancient wisdom for a people and a country to remember principles upon which their way of life was founded and protected: “Teach them to your children; talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” – Dick Butcher to Jack Cade in William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 2, Act 4, Scene 2, Lines 71-78 In context, Jack Cade was describing to his henchmen all of his plans for England if he could overthrow and replace the king. Some of Mr. Cade’s ideas were for the king to set the prices for basic necessities – like food (cheap bread) and beer (making it illegal to drink small beers) – to do away with the existing monetary system and to dress all the people in the king’s mandatory clothes (so all the people would be like brothers and worship the king). Mr. Butcher’s statement about killing all the lawyers was either 1) a comedic quip to the effect that getting rid of all lawyers would be another benefit to the citizens of the revolutionary kingdom of which Mr. Cade wanted to be king or 2) a serious suggestion to Mr. Cade as a way to advance his revolution by removing supporters of the existing legal system. My interpretation is that Shakespeare intended for his audience to understand that Mr. Cade was making a joke with a core concept that everyone disliked lawyers, which tells me that lawyers have had public relations problems for a very long time! However, Shakespeare’s discussion of the concept of attacking lawyers as a way to attack the rule of law recognizes that lawyers are defenders of the legal system, and one way to undermine the existing legal system is to attack lawyers. It is also an early reminder that lawyers are critically important in defending the rule of law and helping educate the public about the very important role the rule of law plays in every level of life and government. Shakespeare, Lincoln and Lawyers: Protecting the Rule of Law From the President By D. Kenyon “Ken” Williams Jr. D. Kenyon “Ken” Williams Jr. is a shareholder and director at Hall Estill in Tulsa. 918-594-0519 kwilliams@hallestill.com (continued on page 63)
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