Common law survived because abandoning it was practically impossible

Evidence

In hindsight, the common law had little to fear. It was as safe as the English language itself, and for the same reason. Anything else would be impractical, as difficult as telling people today to speak Esperanto. — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 584

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Obsolete common-law doctrines lingered for centuries rather than being abolished openly. — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 92