W. H. Harrison Administration - Harrison and the Judiciary
Harrison and the Judiciary
The only major event that took place in the judiciary under Harrison was the Supreme Court's decision in the case of United States vs. The Amistad, handed down on March 9, 1841, five days after Harrison took office. In this case a group of Africans, who had been kidnapped and sold into the Spanish slave trade, were charged with murder and piracy after seizing control of the slaver's ship, the Amistad, and running aground on Long Island, New York.
The attorney for the United States argued that existing treaty law demanded that the ship and its cargo be returned to its Spanish owners. Arguing for the defense was former president John Quincy Adams, who eloquently presented the case that the Africans could in no way be considered slaves. The Supreme Court ruled for the Africans, thereby affirming the lower court's decision, accepting Adams's argument that they were never citizens of Spain...
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