It’s the 4th of July, and that means sunshine (hopefully) across the nation as friends and families take a break from the middle of the year and celebrate something that binds us all together: our homeland.
It’s also time for us to publish our standard July 4th post, which discusses the mechanics lien’s unique American roots.
Two years ago I researched and wrote an article titled “A Short History Of The Mechanic Lien.” It’s surprising to many that invention of the the mechanics lien instrument is credited to one of our most famous founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson. It is said that necessity is the motherhood of invention, and this is true of the mechanics lien remedy as Thomas Jefferson introduced the Mechanics Lien Act in Maryland in 1791 because of problems with credit in colonial America.
Our young nation had lots of land and opportunity, but there were few inclined to take the risk of building on that land without a promise of payment. The mechanics lien document was invented to secure builders, tradesmen (“mechanics”) and suppliers as they furnished labor and materials to the nation’s new lands.
More than 220 years later, the mechanics lien remains vital to America’s construction industry. It’s important as our nation continues to build its infrastructure, and is particularly important in the current economy. Without the mechanics lien remedy, bad economic situations like the present one would have a more negative impact on our nation’s progress (example: Greece).
Now for some housekeeping: Zlien will be closed in observance of our nation’s most spectacular holiday: July 4th! Hope that all of our clients and readers enjoy the holiday, and we look forward to getting back to work on Thursday, July 5th. If you have any questions, you can open a support ticket and have someone get back to you by emailing us at mail@zlien.com.
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