Yes, it seems derivative. What bothers me is a notion is being propagated that the founding era was some libertarian utopia, a golden age when everyone could do whatever they damn well pleased. What they miss is the limits on the Federal government were put in place to protect state laws which were anything but libertarian. Some of the first Federal laws were draconian too. It was a death penalty offense to interfere with the postal service.
Imagine the government acting today the way Washington halted the Whiskey Rebellion. The good old days weren’t always. I am not a libertarian, which is to say, I believe limited government has a vital role to play in society so we can co-exist with a minimum of physical, mental and financial damage to ourselves & others. But I do believe government is best that governs least. I would like to get back to that. I just don’t want to delve into socialism.
I never knew of Capital punishment for interfering with the post office. That is interesting.