Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives
Commonwealth v. Jennison
Detail from:
Indictment and Sentence
This collection consists of court records filed in the case of Commonwealth v. Jennison, heard in the Supreme Judicial Court for Worcester County. This was the third of three cases related to Quock Walker, an enslaved man "owned" by Nathaniel Jennison of Barre, Massachusetts. In this case, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts brought charges against Jennison for assault and battery, accusing Jennison of beating Quock Walker and holding him against his will. Jennison was indicted in 1781, and the case was eventually heard by the Supreme Judicial Court for Worcester County in 1783. Jennison was found guilty of assault and battery and was ordered to pay damages to Walker. Included in this collection are an indictment, bills of costs, and record-book entries summarizing the case.
The three Quock Walker cases, culminating with the verdict in Commonwealth v. Jennison, are popularly remembered as a turning point in the gradual abolition of slavery in Massachusetts. The cases demonstrated that slaveholders could no longer defend their "ownership" of enslaved people in the Commonwealth's courts. Although not reflected in the digitized case files, Chief Justice William Cushing's instructions to the jury during the trial included a statement that slavery was "inconsistent with our own conduct and Constitution." For related materials, see collections for the Walker v. Jennison and Jennison v. Caldwell cases.
The three Quock Walker cases, culminating with the verdict in Commonwealth v. Jennison, are popularly remembered as a turning point in the gradual abolition of slavery in Massachusetts. The cases demonstrated that slaveholders could no longer defend their "ownership" of enslaved people in the Commonwealth's courts. Although not reflected in the digitized case files, Chief Justice William Cushing's instructions to the jury during the trial included a statement that slavery was "inconsistent with our own conduct and Constitution." For related materials, see collections for the Walker v. Jennison and Jennison v. Caldwell cases.
