Commonwealth v. Jennison decision ends slavery in Massachusetts.

Supreme Judicial Court upholds the 1781 decision in Walker v. Jennison. In his ruling, chief justice William Cushing finds that slavery violates the first article of the Massachusetts Constitution, which states, “All men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties . . . [and] “There can be no such thing as perpetual servitude of a rational creature, unless his liberty is forfeited by some criminal conduct or given up by personal consent or contract.” The ruling makes Massachusetts the first state in U.S. to prohibit slavery.