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A Complete Collection of State Trials and Proceedings for High Treason and Other Crimes and Misdemeanors From the Earliest Period to the Year 1783, Vol. 20 of 21 - Softcover

With Notes And Other Illustrations; 12-17 George III, 1772-1777

 
9781527665507: A Complete Collection of State Trials and Proceedings for High Treason and Other Crimes and Misdemeanors From the Earliest Period to the Year 1783, Vol. 20 of 21

Synopsis

This book contains the opening arguments from a landmark legal case regarding the legality of slavery in England in the 18th century. During the hearings, the author, a prominent barrister, argued that slavery violated the principles of natural law and was incompatible with the rights and liberties enshrined in the English constitution. The author's arguments were ultimately successful, and the presiding judge ruled in favor of the plaintiff, an enslaved African man named James Somerset, declaring that slavery was not permissible under English law. This decision marked a turning point in the fight against slavery in the British Empire and beyond.

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