EVENT INFORMATION

22
June
1772

Somerset v Stewart challenges slavery in England

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๐Ÿ“… 22 June 1772 ๐Ÿ“

In Somerset v Stewart, Lord Mansfield ruled that James Somerset, an enslaved African brought to England, could not be forcibly removed from England for sale under the existing law. The decision did not abolish slavery in the British Empire, nor did it recognize the Atlantic slave trade as a crime. Its significance lies in the people who made the case a public contest over freedom and legal power.

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People in this event

James Somerset

Charles Stewart

Lord Mansfield

Organizations in this Event

English courts

British Empire