Massachusetts law since 1783 made slavery illegal and repugnant to its constitution

Evidence

Cornelia Bewersdorf, a German attorney based in Connecticut who specializes in human rights issues, wrote an amicus brief that focused on the fact that slavery was illegal in Massachusetts, where Harvard is based and where Agassiz was employed in 1850. She cites the lawsuit of Quock Walker in 1783, when Chief Justice William Cushing declared, “And upon this ground our Constitution of Government, by which the people of this Commonwealth have solemnly bound themselves, sets out with declaring that all men are born free and equal—and every subject is entitled to liberty, and to have it guarded by the laws, as well as life and property—and in short is totally repugnant to the idea of being born slaves.” If we brought this case in any other state, it would not have the same legal impact. — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 1236

Categorization

• QUESTION: The 1783 Quock Walker decision declaring slavery repugnant to the Massachusetts constitution is a landmark worth cross-checking.