Francis Lieber facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Francis Lieber
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Franz Lieber
March 18, 1798/1800 |
| Died | October 2, 1872 (aged 72-74) New York City, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Jena |
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Notable work
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Lieber Code |
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Francis Lieber (born Franz Lieber, March 18, 1798 – October 2, 1872) was an important legal expert and thinker from Germany. He was asked by the U.S. Army to write special rules for soldiers during the American Civil War. These rules became known as the Lieber Code.
The Lieber Code was the first set of written rules for how armies should act in war. It was based on old traditions and the laws of war. Later, this code helped create major international agreements like the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 and the Geneva Conventions. These agreements still guide how countries behave in wars today.
Contents
Early Life and Education in Germany
Franz Lieber was born in Berlin, the capital of Prussia, which is now part of Germany. He was one of twelve children in a wealthy family. When he was young, Lieber joined the Prussian Army in 1815 during the Napoleonic Wars. He was even hurt during the famous Battle of Waterloo. He lied about his age to join the army, which is why his birth year is sometimes debated.
After the wars, Lieber returned to Berlin. He studied hard and passed the exams to get into the University of Berlin. However, he was not allowed in. This was because he was part of a student group called the Berliner Burschenschaft, which was against the Prussian king.
So, Lieber moved to Jena and started at the University of Jena in 1820. In just four months, he finished his math degree! But the Prussian authorities were still looking for him. Lieber left Jena and went to Dresden to study map-making. When the Greek War of Independence started in 1821, he quickly volunteered to help.
Adventures in Europe
Lieber fought for a short time in the Greek War of Independence. After that, he spent a year in Rome (1822–1823). There, he taught the son of the Prussian ambassador, a historian named Barthold Georg Niebuhr. While in Rome, Lieber wrote about his experiences fighting in Greece. This book was published in 1823.
Lieber later returned to Germany. He was given a royal pardon, but he was soon put in prison again. While in prison, he wrote a collection of poems. With help from Niebuhr, these poems were published in 1824.
In 1825, Lieber escaped to England. He lived in London for a year, giving lessons and writing for German magazines. In London, he met John Neal, an American writer. Neal was learning about gymnastics and wanted to bring it to the United States. Neal wrote articles praising Lieber as a great gymnastics teacher. Lieber also wrote about a teaching method called the Lancasterian system. He met his future wife, Mathilda Oppenheimer, in London. He left England after being offered a job to run a gym and swimming program in Boston, USA.
Becoming an American Educator
Lieber moved to Boston in 1827. He had strong recommendations from famous gymnasts. He believed that training the body was just as important as training the mind. Lieber's swimming school in Boston was very new for the United States. Even John Quincy Adams, who was the President of the United States at the time, came to see it! However, the gym closed after two years.
In Boston, Lieber had an idea to translate a German encyclopedia into English. He became the editor of the Encyclopedia Americana. This huge work was published in 13 volumes between 1829 and 1833. During this time, he also translated other books. He even advised Alexis de Tocqueville, a famous French writer, about American customs.
In 1832, he was asked to create an education plan for a new school called Girard College. He published this plan in 1834. He lived in Philadelphia from 1833 to 1835.
Soon after, he became a professor at South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina). He taught history and economics. He lived in the South for 20 years and wrote some of his most important books there. Many famous writers and legal experts admired his work. Lieber's main idea was "No right without its duties, no duty without its rights." This means that every freedom comes with a responsibility.
From 1856 to 1865, he was a professor at Columbia University in New York. He chose his own job title: professor of history and political science. This made him the first person in the United States to be officially called a political scientist. He also taught law until he died.
Role in the Civil War
Even though Francis Lieber had lived in South Carolina for a long time, he supported the North during the American Civil War. In 1851, he even gave a speech warning the Southern states not to leave the United States. Sadly, one of his sons, Oscar Montgomery Lieber, joined the Confederate army and died in battle.
During the war, Francis Lieber helped start and lead the Loyal Publication Society in New York. This group collected news articles to share with Union soldiers and Northern newspapers. Lieber oversaw the release of over a hundred pamphlets, and he wrote ten of them himself.
He also helped the United States Department of War and President Abraham Lincoln write legal rules for the Union army. The most famous of these rules was General Orders Number 100, better known as the "Lieber Code". This code was later used by other armies around the world. It became a key part of the first modern laws of war.
After the Civil War, Lieber was given the job of collecting and saving important documents from the former Confederate States of America.
Diplomacy and Later Life
From 1870 until his death in New York City at age 72, Francis Lieber worked as a diplomat. He helped settle important disagreements between the United States and Mexico. Both countries chose him to be the final decision-maker in these cases. He was still working on this when he passed away. Lieber was a member of many important academic groups in the United States and other countries.
Family Life
Francis Lieber had three sons:
- His son Oscar Montgomery Lieber was a geologist. He fought for the Confederate army and died during the Civil War.
- His second son, Hamilton Lieber, was wounded fighting for the Union army. He later became a captain in the regular army.
- His third son, Guido Norman Lieber, was a lawyer for the United States Army. He also served in the Union Army and later became the main legal advisor for the entire U.S. Army.
His Lasting Influence
Francis Lieber's ideas are still important today. In 2015, the United States Department of Defense published its Law of War Manual. This manual lists Francis Lieber as an important expert whose writings help explain the rules of the law of war.
Important Writings
Francis Lieber wrote many important books and papers. Here are some of his most famous works:
- Encyclopedia Americana (He was the editor, 1829–1851)
- A Manual of Political Ethics (1838) - This book was used as a textbook at Harvard College.
- Legal and Political Hermeneutics (1838) - This book was about how to interpret laws and political ideas.
- On Civil Liberty and Self-Government (1853)
- Instructions for the Government of Armies of the United States, in the Field (1863) - This is the famous Lieber Code.
Other Writings
Lieber also wrote about many other topics, including:
- Essays on fair laws and prison systems.
- Papers about the power to pardon criminals.
- Articles about the sounds made by Laura Bridgman, a blind and deaf girl, and how they related to language.
- Speeches about the differences between "individualism" (focusing on one person) and "socialism or communism" (focusing on the group).
See also
In Spanish: Francis Lieber para niños
Images for kids
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American gymnastics supporter, John Neal
