SOMMERSETT CASE
\sˈɒmɜːsɪt kˈe͡ɪs], \sˈɒmɜːsɪt kˈeɪs], \s_ˈɒ_m_ɜː_s_ɪ_t k_ˈeɪ_s]\
Sort: Oldest first
-
Sommersett was a slave, brought to London from Boston in October, 1769. In October, 1771, he escaped from his master, but was soon secured and brought before Lord Mansfield. The negro was discharged on the ground that In England slavery could exist only by positive law, and in the absence of such law a person could not be deprived of liberty on the ground that he was a slave. This decision determined the future course of England in the delivery of fugitives.
By John Franklin Jameson
