I remember reading that Thomas Jefferson believed that Blackstone's Commentary would have a negative effect on American jurisprudence. I looked this up on perplexity.ai and it gave the following reasons, the last two of which I think resonate most with what you've written:
> Why did Jefferson come to dislike Blackstoneās commentaries on law?
Thomas Jefferson came to **dislike Blackstoneās Commentaries on the Laws of England** for several key reasons, all rooted in his vision for an independent American legal system:
- **Barrier to American Legal Identity:** Jefferson saw Blackstone as a barrier to developing a distinct American legal profession. He believed that continued reliance on Blackstoneās Commentaries kept American law tied to British precedents, which was inappropriate after independence. He argued that American courts should stop citing English authorities, especially those written after the Declaration of Independence[1][5].
- **Superficial Legal Education:** Jefferson criticized Blackstone for providing only a āsmattering of everything,ā leading students to believe they understood the law fully without deeper study. He felt this reliance resulted in the ādegeneracy of legal science,ā producing lawyers who lacked the depth of knowledge found in those who studied older, more complex works like Coke upon Littleton[1][2][4].
- **Political and Philosophical Opposition:** Jefferson opposed Blackstoneās political conservatism and his glorification of the English system, which Jefferson had fought against. He believed Blackstoneās writings, along with those of David Hume, had done more to suppress liberty than military force, as they promoted systems Jefferson considered antithetical to American republican values[2].
- **Religious Foundations of Law:** Jefferson rejected Blackstoneās assertion that Christianity was part of the common law. He argued that such a claim was historically unfounded and represented an inappropriate blending of church and state, which Jefferson worked to prevent in American law[3][6].
- **Practical Concerns:** Jefferson feared that using Blackstone as a primary legal text would lead to endless litigation over the meaning of his words and keep American law mired in the same āchaos of law-loreā from which the nation sought emancipation[5].
In summary, Jefferson disliked Blackstoneās Commentaries because he saw them as **superficial, politically regressive, reliant on British tradition, and a hindrance to the development of a truly American legal system**[1][2][4][5].
Citations:
[1] Daily Jefferson: Jefferson on Blackstone and British Common Law
https://wthrockmorton.com/2015/06/17/daily-jefferson-jefferson-on-blackstone-and-british-common-law/
[2] Sir William Blackstone in America - Varsity Tutors
Sir William Blackstone in America
Sir William Blackstone was often a failure. And yet this flawed man contributed greatly to the Constitution, laws and leaders of the United States.
[3] Jefferson, History, and the Rights of Expatriated Men
Jefferson, History, and the Rights of Expatriated Men | Online Library of Liberty
Related Links: Works by Trevor Colbourn, Thomas Jefferson Subject Area: History Topic: American Revolution & Constitution Source: Chapter VIII of T...
[4] Jefferson, Thomas and the Practice of Law - Encyclopedia Virginia
Encyclopedia Virginia
Jefferson, Thomas and the Practice of Law - Encyclopedia Virginia
Legal Training Jefferson attended the , in Williamsburg, from 1760 to 1762. After ending his studies, he was back in Williamsburg by 1763, this tim...
[5] V Sway of Blackstone in the United States
Woman as a Force in History. Mary Beard 1946
[6] William Blackstone and the Founding Fathers
William Blackstone and the Founding Fathers | ScienceBlogs
Social conservatives, advocates of "morals legislation" and Christian Nation apologists have a habit of quoting William Blackstone on the essential...
[7] Rediscovering Blackstone - jstor
Rediscovering Blackstone on JSTOR
Albert W. Alschuler, Rediscovering Blackstone, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vol. 145, No. 1 (Nov., 1996), pp. 1-55
[8] [PDF] Mansfield and Blackstone's Commentaries - Chicago Unbound
https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1121&context=uclrev
This is very cool! Have you also seen 
