Fines Quotes
John Lackland, c. 1167-1216. Sealed under duress and later repudiated by the King with Papal assistance
This document was a type of Magna Carta but far earlier.
Theoretically every male citizen was supposed to serve in the Militia at that time. But if one did not, the penalty was a small fine. It became a status symbol. Those middle and upper class men who could get commissions as officers would serve, but those who did not have the political connections or the money to equip his own troops, would rather pay the fine than serve with men he thought beneath him. There is a , romantic American myth about the Militiamen in Colonial and Revolutionary America—the citizen soldiers who would leave their farms and rise to the military necessity of the day. However, not only were the militia very hard to muster to duty, but most actually didn’t own or have experience with firearms, and the prevailing opinion of knowledgeable military leaders from George Washington on down was that the militia were not very good soldiers. See {613015}, {613016}, {613022}, {613027}, {621987}, {621988}, {613030}, {613033}, & {613056}
Manava Dharma Shastra. The caste system in action. Note however that the highest caste aristocrats could not abuse even lower caste women with impunity the way that was common in early Christian Europe. However, the punishment was not death as required by Muslim law—see {590409}. This text is a part of the Hindu Holy Texts. Hindus believe that Manu was a prophet whose text is revealed or inspired.
With the exception of during church, drinking was allowed. However, inviting others to drink was prohibited. In a sense there is a modern European parallel in that drinking is legal in most countries but advertising alcohol on television is not. The deed is allowed; the marketing, not.
The major targets of this law were the Puritans who would not attend the normal Church of England services but had their own, usually in a private home.
This document was a type of Magna Carta but far earlier.
Jackson was then a rising young military officer and politician. He had been found guilty of abusing his power to declare and implement martial law. He was a character. He bragged about his “respectful submission” to the law by paying the fine, but ignored the legal violations he committed to be sentenced to the fine.
Although it seems incredible to us today, thousands of people were arrested and prosecuted under the Espionage Act. The government particularly targeted leftists such as Eugene V. Debs, Bill Haywood, J. Philip Randolph, Victor Berger, John Reed, Max Eastman, and Emma Goldman. Debs was sentenced to 20 years in prison for criticizing the Act itself.
This law, passed by the President John Adams and the Federalists, became the political factor around which Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and others were to create the Democratic Republicans who not only ousted the Federalists but beat them so badly that the party disappeared and the Whig Party evolved. Under this law a person who criticized any facet of the Government publicly could be fined and imprisoned. The Act was unconstitutional but at that early stage of America, there were no Supreme Court precedents to go by and the power of the courts to nullify a law of Congress was not even clear. So it was never tested in the courts but finally was repealed.
Manava Dharma Shastra. This quotation shows that even thought the Ancient Hindu king was an autocrat, even he had to live within the law, and if he transgressed his fine was one thousand times the fin of a commoner. It is not clear whether or not this principle was actually imposed and when. But unlike the Christian King who could do no wrong, the Hindu king was not above the law. This text is a part of the Hindu Holy Texts. Hindus believe that Manu was a prophet whose text is revealed or inspired.
