Case Briefs - 1789-1850

On June 27, 1839, the Spanish ship The Amistad left the port of Havana, Cuba, with Captain Ransom Ferrer; two... Continued

In 1841, Rhode Island was still operating under an archaic system of government established by a royal charter of... Continued

In 1795, Vermont granted an exclusive 100 year franchise to build and operate a toll bridge. In 1843, a Vermont judge... Continued

Nine slaves who lived in Kentucky escaped into Ohio, to head north toward freedom. VanZandt gave them a ride in his... Continued

The Pennsylvania legislature passed laws in 1788 and 1826 prohibiting the removal of Negroes out of the state for the... Continued

Slaughter took a group of slaves to Mississippi to sell them. He accepted partial payment. The note fell due but... Continued

In 1785, the Massachusetts legislature incorporated the Charles River Bridge Company to construct a bridge and collect... Continued

Kentucky authorized a state owned and operated bank to issue bank notes that circulated as currency. The bank gave... Continued

A state law required all vessels docking in New York City to provide a list of passengers and to post security against... Continued

John Barron was co-owner of a profitable wharf in the harbor of Baltimore. As the city developed and expanded, large... Continued

In September 1831, Samuel A. Worcester and others, all non-Native Americans, were indicted in the supreme court for... Continued

The state of Delaware authorized the Blackbird Creek Marsh Company to construct a dam spanning the Blackbird Creek... Continued

Saunders, a Kentucky citizen, sued Ogden, a Louisiana citizen, on a contract which Odgen, then a citizen of New York... Continued

The state of Ohio levied taxes on each branch of the United States Bank in Ohio. Although the Court ruled in McCulloch... Continued

A New York state law gave to individuals the exclusive right to operate steamboats on waters within state jurisdiction... Continued

In 1775, Thomas Johnson and other British citizens purchased land in the Northwest Territory, then in the colony of... Continued

An act of Congress authorized the operation of a lottery in the District of Columbia. The Cohen brothers proceeded to... Continued

Anderson attempted to bribe a member of Congress to receive favorable treatment from the government. The House order... Continued

In 1816, the New Hampshire legislature attempted to change Dartmouth College-- a privately funded institution--into a... Continued

In 1816, Congress chartered The Second Bank of the United States. In 1818, the state of Maryland passed legislation to... Continued

Lord Fairfax held land in Virginia. He was a Loyalist and fled to England during the Revolution. He died in 1781 and... Continued

In 1758, the New Jersey colonial legislature made an agreement with the Delaware Indians, granting to them a portion... Continued

In 1795, the Georgia state legislature passed a land grant awarding territory to four companies. The following year... Continued

The USS Boston captured the Danish ship the Flying-Fish, which was then held in the Port of Boston. The Flying-Fish... Continued

In the last days of President John Adams’ presidency, he nominated a number of people to serve as justices of the... Continued

Mr. and Mrs. Caleb Bull, the stated beneficiaries of the will of Norman Morrison, were denied an inheritance by a... Continued

This case involved the Treaty of Paris, which established peace in 1783. A Virginian owed a debt to a British subject... Continued

In 1794, Congress enacted a law entitled "An act to lay duties upon carriages for the conveyance of persons." The law... Continued

In 1777, the Executive Council of Georgia authorized the purchase of needed supplies from a South Carolina businessman... Continued