563:(1772), and the abolishment of slavery in Massachusetts. The only people who could be treated as slaves in Massachusetts, he reasoned, were fugitive slaves, and then only because the U.S. Constitution specifically required it. Therefore, Med had become free as soon as her alleged owner voluntarily brought her to Massachusetts. He cited several cases demonstrating that even in Southern states it was understood that a slave became free when voluntarily brought to a free state.
31:
573:(1837); New York and Pennsylvania used it in legislation declaring that slaves became free when brought to those states; and Ohio courts began using it in 1841. By the start of the Civil War, every Northern state other than Indiana, Illinois, and New Jersey granted freedom automatically to any slave brought within its borders.
527:
was served on Thomas Aves, the owner of the house where Med was staying. It was served in the name of a male abolitionist, Levin H. Harris, because it was considered unseemly in those days for women to take part in public affairs. On August 21, 1836, the case was brought before Chief
Justice Lemuel
94:
A citizen of any one of the United States where negro slavery is established by law, who comes into this State for any temporary purpose of business or pleasure, bringing a slave with him as a personal attendant, and stays some time, but does not acquire a domicil here, cannot restrain the slave of
501:
In 1836, Mary Aves Slater of New
Orleans went to Boston to visit Thomas Aves, her father. She brought with her a six-year-old girl named Med who, under Louisiana law, was considered the property of Slater's husband, Samuel Slater. When members of the
492:
ruled that slaves brought to
Massachusetts "for any temporary purpose of business or pleasure" were entitled to freedom. The case was the most important legal victory for abolitionists in the 1830s and set a major precedent throughout the North.
553:
in the case of slaves," giving them "immediate and entire liberty" when they were brought there from another country. He characterized slavery as immoral, and expounded on the commonwealth's longstanding commitment to liberty.
547:
Loring argued that the comity principle did not apply "in doubtful cases," and that there was no consensus on slavery; England and several other
European nations had a policy of "disregarding the
466:
576:
Med was placed in the custody of the abolitionist women, while her mother and siblings remained enslaved in New
Orleans. The women renamed her Maria Somerset, after
459:
132:
814:
452:
809:
438:
264:
819:
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required
Massachusetts to respect the laws of Louisiana, and therefore Mrs. Slater should be allowed to bring Med home with her.
799:
348:
485:
151:
41:
727:
700:
503:
274:
337:
179:
312:
804:
557:
When giving his opinion, Shaw discussed several precedents in international law, including the
British case of
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742:"Reports of the arguments of counsel and of the opinion of the court, in the case of Commonwealth vs. Aves"
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his liberty during his continuance here, and carry him out of this State against his consent.
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8:
715:
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on the subject of transportation of slaves to free states. In August 1836, Chief
Justice
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was later used as a precedent in other
Northern states. Connecticut used it in
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793:
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763:
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Abolition and
Antislavery: A Historical Encyclopedia of the American Mosaic
507:
510:
to bring the matter to court. Choate was joined by abolitionist attorneys
737:
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learned that an enslaved girl was staying in Boston, they hired attorney
489:
123:
108:
30:
720:
Encyclopedia of Emancipation and Abolition in the Transatlantic World
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84:
Med Slater placed in the custody of a state-appointed guardian
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case. At some point later she was moved to an orphanage.
540:decision, represented Aves. Curtis argued that the
528:Shaw of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
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653:Finkelman (2015), p. 86; Hunter (2015), p. 135.
768:Law of the Commonwealth and Chief Justice Shaw
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691:. In Hinks, Peter; McKivigan, John (eds.).
781:. Houghton, Mifflin and Company. pp.
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29:
815:African-American history of Massachusetts
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484:, 35 Mass. 193 (1836), was a case in the
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534:, later known for his dissent in the
439:President Lincoln's 75,000 volunteers
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486:Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
42:Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
13:
810:Freedom suits in the United States
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504:Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society
349:John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry
205:End of slavery in British colonies
16:1836 freedom suit in Massachusetts
14:
831:
338:The Impending Crisis of the South
180:Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
76:Decision in favor of plaintiffs.
722:. Routledge. pp. 135–136.
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820:1836 in United States case law
665:
656:
647:
1:
712:"Commonwealth v. Aves (1836)"
599:
800:Massachusetts state case law
775:Tiffany, Nina Moore (1898).
695:. ABC-CLIO. pp. 85–87.
689:"Commonwealth v Aves (1836)"
604:
313:Burning of Pennsylvania Hall
275:Secession of Southern states
7:
587:
308:Martyrdom of Elijah Lovejoy
152:End of Atlantic slave trade
10:
836:
778:Samuel E. Sewall: A Memoir
770:. Oxford University Press.
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395:Recapture of Anthony Burns
265:1860 presidential election
240:Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
344:Oberlin–Wellington Rescue
319:American Slavery As It Is
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37:
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644:Finkelman (2015), p. 86.
628:Finkelman (2015), p. 85.
367:Trial of Reuben Crandall
280:Peace Conference of 1861
255:Caning of Charles Sumner
532:Benjamin Robbins Curtis
260:Lincoln–Douglas debates
710:Hunter, T. K. (2015).
671:Hunter (2015), p. 135.
594:Abolition Riot of 1836
408:Virginia v. John Brown
401:Dred Scott v. Sandford
303:Nat Turner's Rebellion
805:1836 in Massachusetts
434:Battle of Fort Sumter
389:Prigg v. Pennsylvania
270:Crittenden Compromise
716:Rodriguez, Junius P.
662:Knapp (1836), p. 30.
616:Knapp (1836), p. 48.
578:Maria Weston Chapman
567:Commonwealth v. Aves
481:Commonwealth v. Aves
373:Commonwealth v. Aves
230:Nashville Convention
220:Mexican–American War
190:Nullification crisis
24:Commonwealth v. Aves
749:Library of Congress
560:Somerset v. Stewart
245:Kansas–Nebraska Act
185:Missouri Compromise
175:Northwest Ordinance
140:
571:Jackson v. Bulloch
542:doctrine of comity
235:Compromise of 1850
138:American Civil War
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61:Somerset v Stewart
512:Ellis Gray Loring
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81:Subsequent action
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210:Texas Revolution
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100:Court membership
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73:Prior action
68:Case history
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490:Lemuel Shaw
124:Lemuel Shaw
120:Decision by
109:Lemuel Shaw
105:Chief judge
56:Cases cited
794:Categories
600:References
537:Dred Scott
521:A writ of
605:Citations
169:Political
766:(1957).
740:(1836).
687:(2015).
588:See also
582:Somerset
580:and the
550:lex loci
421:Military
361:Judicial
195:Gag rule
146:Economic
718:(ed.).
497:History
381:Amistad
89:Holding
48:Decided
726:
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383:affair
297:Social
745:(PDF)
714:. In
38:Court
785:–68.
724:ISBN
697:ISBN
514:and
379:The
136:the
51:1836
796::
783:66
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633:^
621:^
518:.
751:.
732:.
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468:e
461:t
454:v
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