How Do You Determine the Place of Trial?
My Country – Place of Trial In 1644, Roger Macguire, who lived in Ireland, was charged with high treason. England had charged that he levied war against the King, which killed many Protestants. And...
Category: My Democratic Faith
Governor John Peter Altgeld and the Haymarket Square Riot
My Country – John Peter Altgeld On June 26, 1893, Governor John Peter Altgeld pardoned three men convicted in the Haymarket Square bombings. Chicago Labor Movement In 1886, Chicago suffered from poor working conditions....
Poor Laws in America: 1930s Edition
My Country – Poor Laws Justice Douglas spends today’s entry examining a North Dakota Supreme Court case regarding Roy Hulm. Roy Hulm lived in South Dakota with his wife and ten children. However, Hulm...
James Sommersett and Quock Walker
My Country – James Sommersett Charles Stewart of Boston, Massachusetts, owned James Sommersett. Stewart brought Somerset when he returned to England in 1769. But in 1771, Somerset escaped and Stewart directed that he be sold to...
Thomas Jefferson and Free Speech
My Country – Thomas Jefferson and Free Speech On June 13, 1779, Thomas Jefferson wrote an article of faith on free speech. [T]he opinions of men are not the object of civil government, nor...
Wiretapping, Olmstead, and Katz
My Country – Wiretapping Justice Douglas spends three days investigating wiretapping. He called wiretapping a “blight on the civil liberties of the citizen.” I cannot believe that Justice Douglas would have liked the PATRIOT...
Salute the Flag, Harlan Stone, and Gobitis
My Country – You Don’t Have to Salute the Flag On June 3, 1940, the Supreme Court held that a Jehovah’s Witness must salute the flag if required by statute. In Pennsylvania, a state...
Initiatives, Referendum, and Oregon
My Country – When Oregon Adopted Initiatives and Referendum On June 2, 1902, Oregon amended its Constitution to allow for the initiative and referendum process. It gave people the power to propose and enact...
Sterilization Laws and How the United States Can Be Wrong and Evil
My Country – Sterilization Laws In 1935, an Oklahoma law provided for sterilization of habitual criminals. A habitual criminal was as a person who was convicted two or more times for crimes “amounting to...
