The Treason Trial Act Of The United States - 1923 Words

Despite the concessions Hedges made to combat the obvious disadvantage defendants in piracy cases faced, it is also clear that Hedges was not willing to provide suspected pirates with an avenue to escape justice. To the Chief Justice, these minor concessions in no way hampered the court’s ability to ascertain the truth. To that end, Hedges withheld two crucial components of the Treason Trial Act from his piracy legislation which conflicted with his approach to trying pirates. One of the most important and radical changes in trial procedures derived from the Treason Trials Act was that it changed the court’s interaction with the accused, from a combative environment, to seeing defendants as possible victims. This was contradictory to†¦show more content†¦Prior to 1706, only three gentlemen from Massachusetts travelled to England to study law, all of them focusing on common law training at the Inns of Court. William Penn, proprietor of Pennsylvania, argued veh emently against the perceived usurpation of charter rights and complained about the difficulty in following the statute since no one in the colonies understood civil law procedure. Robert Quarry, recent judicial appointee to Pennsylvania’s new vice-Admiralty court confirmed Penn’s analysis when he wrote â€Å"I have not so much vanity as to pretend myself learned in the Civil Law†¦Ã¢â‚¬  continuing, â€Å"If none but a person learned in the law must be Judge of the Vice-Admiralty in Pennsylvania, then the crown must be without justice there, or send a person so qualified to England.† The Board of Trade’s solution to this serious impediment was to send George Larkin to the colonies in the spring of 1700 to instruct colonial officials in civil law and the proper procedures relating to piracy trials. This whirlwind tour sent Larkin to nine colonies, where he spent roughly two weeks in each colony giving a crash course to unprepared, and at times, unwilling recipients. He skipped the proprietary colonies completely. In Massachusetts, no high ranking official was present for Larkin’s training, and those that did show up proved highly resistant to accepting civil law procedures in their courts. Bermuda’s GovernorShow MoreRelatedAaron Burrs Disgrace in the Burr Conspiracy Essay786 Words   |  4 Pagesended Burr’s career in national politics. Three years later, he was on trial, charged with the capital crime of treason by the government headed by Jefferson, his former partner in political ofï ¬ ce. Presiding over the trial was John Marsh all, Chief Justice of the United States. Finally, there was James Wilkinson, general of the army, once Burr’s associate and at trial his chief accuser. With these principal players, the trial in the U.S. Circuit Court at Richmond was as much high political and personalRead MoreAaron Burr Jr. Was An American Politician1596 Words   |  7 PagesAaron Burr Jr. was an American politician, on the Democratic-Republican Party. He was the third Vice President of the United States, serving during President Thomas Jefferson s first term. Nearing the end of his term as Vice President, Burr ran for the governorship of New York, but lost. Blaming Hamilton and eager to defend his honor, he challenged Hamilton to a duel. Hamilton accepted, and the face-off took place; it ended when Burr shot Hamilton to death. Burr fled to New York and New JerseyRead MoreThe Constitutional Law : Treason And The Right Of Privacy1045 Words   |  5 PagesU.S. Constitutional Law: Treason and the Right to Pr ivacy American Constitution describes treason as consisting of merely imposing War against the United States or in collaboration with American enemies by helping and comforting them. The constitution goes forward to say that no person will be sentenced of treason other than for two witnesses’ testimony to very similar overt Act, or on open Court Admission. Where of he/she they shall stand accused, this individual(s)shall be pronounced guilty againstRead MoreCourtroom1218 Words   |  5 Pagesdefense attorney represents the defendant, the person accused of committing a crime or a wrongful act. Criminal defendants who are unable to come up with the money for to hire a lawyer are allowed to have the judge appoint them a lawyer who is then paid with public funds. The courtroom deputy or courtroom clerk administers the oaths to the witnesses, marks the exhibits, and generally helps keep the trial running efficiently. The courtroom deputy is employed by the clerk of the court. The clerk ofRead MoreCapital Punishment : The Death Penalty Essay1426 Words   |  6 Pagespunishment for serious crimes. Capital punishment has been used in the United States since 1775 when all thirteen colonies were at the outbreak of the American Revolution. It was not until 1787 that the founding fathers allowed the death penalty when writing the constitution. In 1790 United States Congress established a Federal Death Penalty, which was also called the Crimes Act of 1790, that created six capital offenses, treason, counterfeiting, three variations of piracy or felonies on the high seasRead MoreJoseph Mccarthy And The Mccarthy Era1368 Words   |  6 Pagesthe United States, the 1950s was a time riddled with heightened political repression due to the fear of co mmunism. This fear was instilled in the people by the American government, who saw the growing fondness of communism around the world as a threat to the American way of life. With Senator Joseph McCarthy as the head of the communist witch hunt, this period in time is often referred to as the McCarthy Era. The McCarthy Era is marked by unjust accusations of disloyalty to the United States withoutRead MoreHow serious was the radical threat facing pitt in the period: 1789-18011206 Words   |  5 Pageswas now significant and there were now also British worried that France would begin to use Ireland as a stepping-stone to invade Britain. After Pitt declared War on France in 1793, he had hoped to fight a traditional colonial war, but due to the state of the army, he had to focus Britains army on the naval war and pay others to fight the colonial war for him. He paid for this by introducing income tax. After France became a republic, it began to broaden its horizons and extended its trade whichRead MoreChapter 2 Review of Related Literature Sample1295 Words   |  6 PagesStrictly speaking, it is the decision by a legislature to accuse an official of one or more offenses that warrant removal according to constitutional standards. A vote to impeach then triggers a trial based on those charges. The most famous impeachment proceedings have involved presidents, but every state has its own procedures. Most follow the federal model in general, but vary widely in their specifics. At the federal level, impeachment starts in the House of Representatives, where members mayRead MoreThe United States And The Threat Of Communism1298 Words   |  6 PagesThe United States and the Threat of Communism Over the course of the history of the United States of America, there have been numerous threats from various international countries. And with these numerous threats come different responses from the United States. Such as the French and the British during the 1790s, the U.S. government created the Alien and Sedition Acts The U.S. also had conflict with the British over the territory of Oregon,which ended in the creation Oregon Treaty. Later duringRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1131 Words   |  5 Pagesusing intense fear of the spread of the economic system called communism. McCarthyism is used to describe accusations of treason without evidence. Back in the 1950’s, with the spread of communism across China and in Eastern Europe, people were afraid that communism could influence American’s minds. As the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States intensified, people were engulfed in fear and started to suspiscion evevrybody with difference political belief. In The Crucible,