Cleveland (OH) Herald, “Important Decision,” July 14, 1859

    Source citation
    “Important Decision – The Ohio Black Law Declared Unconstitutional,” Cleveland (OH) Herald, July 14, 1859, p. 3: 5.
    Newspaper: Publication
    Daily Cleveland Herald
    Newspaper: Headline
    Important Decision – The Ohio Black Law Declared Unconstitutional
    Newspaper: Page(s)
    3
    Newspaper: Column
    5
    Type
    Newspaper
    Date Certainty
    Exact
    Transcriber
    Don Sailer, Dickinson College
    Transcription date
    The following text is presented here in complete form, as it originally appeared in print. Spelling and typographical errors have been preserved as in the original.

    Important Decision – The Ohio Black Law Declared Unconstitutional.

    The Court of Common Pleas for Cuyahoga County, through Judge FOOTE, this morning, delivered an important decision. At the last election FREEMAN H. MORRIS, tailor, of this city, and having about one-fourth negro blood in his veins, presented himself at the First Ward voting place and was barred from voting on account of his negro blood. Action was brought against the judges of election, SANBORN, CHRISTIAN AND GARRETT, for illegally rejecting the vote. They pleaded in defence the recent action of the Legislature, rejecting the vote of every person having any negro blood in his veins.

    The case was made up and submitted to the court. This morning, Judge FOOTE declared for the plaintiff, declaring the “Black Law” to be unconstitutional. The Court held that under the old Constitution of Ohio all persons having more than half white blood were declared to be legally white. The new Constitution merely mentioned “white persons,” without defining what constituted a white person, consequently the definition of a white person contained in the old Constitution remained in force, and any law declaring a person having more than half white blood to be a negro must of necessity be unconstitutional.

    How to Cite This Page: "Cleveland (OH) Herald, “Important Decision,” July 14, 1859," House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, https://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/index.php/node/24568.