This morning, I discussed the upcoming Supreme Court decisions from the temporary Fox studio on the Mall, surrounded by the state pavilions. I was buoyed by the enthusiasm of the young National Guard members from Puerto Rico and Alaska. They are thrilled to be part of our 250th celebration. The only disappointment was the decision of 10 states—Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Pennsylvania—to decline to participate. Pennsylvania’s governor, Josh Shapiro, refused, but the state’s two senators stepped in to ensure their representation. It is an utter disgrace for these states and another manifestation of our age of rage.
All of these states cited transparent excuses over the cost of participating in our anniversary despite their lavish spending in other areas.
Massachusetts is a particular insult. The home of John Adams and other colonial leaders elected to sit out the celebrations. Recently, we discussed how a Massachusetts church ended the long-standing celebration of the Fourth of July to focus on the “on-going process within the congregation to better understand our own whiteness.”
John Adams once wrote his wife Abigail to predict that Independence Day would be:
“celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.”
Rather than Adams, Massachusetts now has figures such as Gov. Maura Healey, who balked at spending $100,000 to be counted among the states in the pavilion.
Gov. Shapiro did the same. This is a man who wants to be the next president of the United States but has opted out of participating, despite his state being home to our Independence Hall. It appears that he could not acquire space by simple adverse possession. Many people in Pennsylvania and across the country will not soon forget his ignoble stance or the two Pennsylvania senators’ efforts to ensure the state’s presence despite Shapiro’s efforts.
These leaders decided to spread division at the very moment when we could overcome our differences to remember what we share as fellow citizens of this country. They may see the rallying cry of “taxation without representation” replaced by “celebration without representation” for many disappointed voters.
Despite the effort of blue states to boycott the celebration, tourists and participants appear to be having a ball. It is a beautiful space and filled with wonderful people from around our country.
This morning I met Al Underwood, who was playing Paul Revere. He and his wife were delighted to participate and drove in from their home outside of Charlottesville.
As these leaders in blue states sit out the celebrations, many of their citizens are rallying to support our unique republic.
E pluribus unum
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the New York Times best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.“
According to this article, visitors feel the Great American Fair is not a political Trump fest at all, Trump’s Great American State Fair attendees say they haven’t noticed politics overshadowing the celebration
“It’s kind of neat, because here it’s just been all about America, and I haven’t seen the political things,” Pamela L., 59, who was visiting the capital from Virginia Beach, Virginia, for her husband’s annual birthday trip, told NBC News. “People are just being people [and] enjoying, you know, they’re being kind, opening the doors, holding them for each other, and it’s just kind of neat to see.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-great-american-state-fair-attendees-havent-noticed-politics-rcna348687?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=offthepress&utm_campaign=home
Looks like all those governors who refused to join were wrong.
Upstate
WA state bailed out of the 250 also. Fools.
Our enemies are rejoicing at our division.
Well, there is a complete surprise…
Except for the overlooking Trump Arch. Not political at all.
The dozens of visitors probably don’t really see the fake fronts on the tents or the peeling appliqué on that arch.
And lower crowds than normal for the grass and gravel paths.
ATS – you do not seem to grasp – you have lied so frequently about pretty much everything – that no one beleives you
Pennsylvania will be at the ‘Great American State Fair’ after all
“In the latest example of their bipartisan working relationship, U.S. Sens. John Fetterman, a Democrat, and Dave McCormick, a Republican, announced Friday that they are partnering to showcase the commonwealth with no taxpayer funding.”
https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_c0ae1d99-5346-4043-988a-9fd603107c90.html?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=offthepress&utm_campaign=home
Good to see, real, patriotic Americans, doing the right thing.
Checked out the website. Looks like typical 4th July kind of celebration. You know, American flags everywhere.
In 2019 a partnership with the Smithsonian Institute was to produce a far larger and longer lasting exhibition, but Trump pulled all their permits so he could handle an event that is not even as lively as the Montgomery County fair – https://www.montgomerycountyfair.org/schedule-of-events which has a lot more interesting things to see and do than Trump has managed to deliver.
We have morphed from the blue and gray to the blue and red. We live in interesting times.
Funny, I was thinking Gray and Red, same as it was then, same as it is now.
Sad but not surprising at all. The party is being taken over by the socialists who want to tear down our Constitution to install socialism, they can celebrate it.
Tony
These are not socialist, they are communist!
A distinction with little difference.
If Shapiro wants to be nominated he will have to demonstrate that he hates American and Israel. Maybe he should go to a tattoo shop and get an SS mark on his chest But even that might not be sufficient for today’s democratic party
New Jersey’s Governor refused to have the State participate based upon the supposed cost, but Cape May County was urged by Representative Jeff Van Drew to do something and them stepped up. Otherwise, New Jersey would not be represented.
” Cape May County”
That’s my county. With the exception of a couple of municipalities, the residents here are relatively conservative, (at least by NJ standards), and we very much enjoy taking advantage of any opportunity afforded to poke our virtual finger in the eye of the crooked toothed Gopher (our previous governor), Helicopter Ho (current), or whoever else the backroom denizens who control the votes of the mindless masses in North Jersey have most recently shoved down our throats. It should be pointed out that, like Fetterman, Van Drew was a Democrat until that party abandoned all reason in its rush to extremism.
The American Founders never intended for a one-man, one-vote “dictatorship-of-the-majority-poor” “democracy.”
The American Founders severely restricted the vote.
Democracy is not viable without severe and rational restrictions.
The poor will always vote themselves largesse from society’s producers.
______________________________________________________________________________
AI Overview
Ancient Greece restricted the vote in 508 B.C.
The pioneering system of democracy established in Athens that year under the leader Cleisthenes limited suffrage to free adult male citizens.
Van Drew did the right thing. Fetterman has been red-pilled for sure, he sees that his party is a dumpster fire. But he hasn’t yet switched parties. He should.
Fetterman had a stroke and with the associated brain damage became a supporter of Republican values. Only a matter of time before he’s dating 14 year olds.
Fetterman did have a stroke and should have dropped out of the election.
Miraculously he managed to win – and both during the tail fo the election and early as senator his abilities were severely impaided.
He has subsquently fully recovered. While there is reason for concern – 50% of people who have a stroke die within 3 years. Few have a normal life expectance.
Regardless Fettermans cognative abilities exceed that or nearly all his democratic peers.
It is my understanding that he is happily married to someone even further left than he is.
You are pathetic, whilst you elect actual Nazi’s to your party.
Hey all SCOTUS watchers Amy Coney Barrett joined Roberts and they decided that mail in ballots can be counted after election day. So much for Trump’s great pick who was only picked due to abortion, the issue that crushed Republicans in 2022.
OUCH
Hully
One day more or???
No time limit as long as post marked by election day. But don’t worry, Dems would never cheat with post dates??!?????!!?!?
I really don’t disagree with the Court on this, (which emphasized that its decision was narrow) but your concern is extremely appropriate.
For me The real question is, who has control of individual “date” postmark devices within each USPS facility? The postal workforce in general is overwhelmingly Democrat, which is troubling. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/american-postal-workers-union/summary?id=D000000143
I offer this only as thought/muse for later discussion as I don’t want to start an OT thread here out of respect for the good professor)
“For me The real question is, who has control of individual “date” postmark devices within each USPS facility? ”
I guess that concern is not entirely unfounded, but… I ‘m not certain that I believe that very many in the USPS workforce are competent enough to consistently fudge those dates as the Democrats would like, even if instructed to do so. I regularly watch on-line orders I have placed bounce back-and-forth between two regional distribution centers on tracking reports. One recent parcel did so 8 times…
That was me…
How hard can it be for a non-postal worker to forge a postmark? It seems to me that would be pretty easy, no?
Maybe. The solution to that would be to make postmarks more difficult to forge. In this digital age, that should be neither difficult nor expensive. Getting it to happen is a different story. Whether SCOTUS should have taken the ease or difficulty of forging postmarks into consideration is imo questionable. I haven’t seen the dissenting opinions published anywhere. Thomas and Alito’s takes might prove interesting reading.
The solution is not to have ballots in the mail.
USPS does not control all postmarks.
If you are a business and have your own postage meter – you can postmark your mail – yourself with whatever date you want.
BUT carriers USUALLY check metered mail and refuse to accept mail with a meter date that is ore than a day off
Control of individual hand-stamped date postmark devices and automated postmarking machines is strictly overseen by the Postmaster or the facility manager/supervisor of the specific USPS location.
The chain of responsibility and operational controls includes:
Hand-Stamped Devices: Retail clerks are issued individual round-date hand stamps directly by the Postmaster or manager. These devices are treated as controlled, accountable property. Employees must sign for them, and they are typically locked securely in a safe at the end of every shift.
Automated Machinery: Large-scale automated cancellation machines and Optical Character Readers (OCRs) that apply date postmarks are operated by mail processing clerks and technicians under the direct supervision of plant managers.
Date Changes: Facility supervisors are responsible for verifying the correct date is set on all postmarking devices at the start of each day.
—
Changing the date would be a Federal crime. Since they don’t know if the vote is for a Democrat they would not have the information required to shift the date on any one piece of mail.
Most businesses hae their own postage meters – not controlled by the post office.
lin,
I am torn – Barrett/Roberts are correct – absent congress acting states set their own election laws.
But Alito is also correct – the constitution says “election DAY” – not week or month.
Keep in mind that they USPS has already changed the policy from date received to date processed, so anything that might get dropped into a mail box at the Post Office that isn’t processed until the next day won’t be counted for the day the bag was taken to the processing machine, even if that happened on the day it was dropped off.
Only if it is hand-delivered at the USPS window will it be certain to have the date or receipt reflect when it is in USPS possession, so Trump has already clipped off the former allowable practice. This applies to taxes and other government related interactions.
Trump won some and lost some.
The mailin ballot decision is quite complex. Alito is correct – the constitution says “Election Day”.
But Barrett/Roberts are correct – absent Congress setting election laws, states are free to set their own.
Though Barrett/Roberts do miss one issue – A state can not actually have whatever election rules they wish.
They must have rules that do not disrupt national elections.
I am not sure that Mississippis election law is unconstitutional – But the State of Washingtons – counting ballots that come in 21days after the election is.
Regardless, Barrett and Roberts correctly got that Congress has the power to act.
The courts do not make laws, they merely decide if they are constitutional.
Not if they are good.
Really: unless they are catatonic, what further evidence do older blue voters need that their existence is on the line in continuing to hold out hope JFK will rise from the dead? This is a disgrace, and if they keep up their habits, it is largely their fault, because the rest of us know better by now.
Bunch of cry babies…
Josh Shapiro, being a Jewish Democrat, has to kiss the Ring of Rage or his party will “October 7th” him. Strange times. Sad times.
They already tried, when they tried to burn down the Governors mansion with his family sleeping inside.
Maybe the best must-read of 2026:
An article titled “The Slaveholding Founding Fathers felt more angst over slavery than you might think” written by Timothy Sandefur in the July 2026 issue of Reason Magazine (non-partisan publication).
So what. That time is long gone. Slavery is gone, except in Libya. Thanks to O-dumber.
The 250 Event on the mall is a partisan MAGA event, put on by a partisan MAGA group. Congress created America250 to manage the 250th celebration. Trump sidelines that and instead formed Freedom250, which he controls. Freedom250 is what is putting on the event. He even went so far to put up an ugly model of his proposed arch.
Of course the blue states don’t want to participate in a MAGA event.
Wrong.
The problem they have is anything that celebrates America they think is MAGA. That is exactly what Making America Great Again looks like. And they cannot stand it.
No, I mean litteraly the group America250 is a private group run by Trump. The group created by Congress is sidelines. Look it up.
So.. Is he breaking any laws. NOPE. The congress is NOT sidelined. Do you ever look stuff up?
Sally – absolutely there are public and private groups and individuals celebrating the 250th aniversary of this country.
Only a left wing nut would claim that Everything must be centrally planned.
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116753672230328052
Trump literally said this would be the “most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all.” So, YES, it is MAGA.
And Sally is right about Freedom250. Unlike the congressionally established, bipartisan America250 foundation, Freedom 250 operates independently of congressional oversight, giving Trump and his aides broad authority over its programming and funding.
(But I am guessing Upstate Farmer won’t retract is easily disprovable comment.)
The American people think you are wrong.
https://jonathanturley.org/2026/06/29/celebration-without-representation-blue-states-refuse-to-participate-in-the-250th-anniversary-celebration-on-the-mall/comment-page-2/#comment-2647290
Ummm, Upstate, how does an article quoting the feelings of “over a dozen attendees Saturday” believing the event has not yet been partisan equate to “the American people” thinking my comment – which simply quoted Trump’s own intentions for the event to be a Trump political rally – is “wrong”?
That is some questionable logic, sir. Let’s break it down:
– First – the idea that a random NBC news article is somehow representative of the American people, especially when only sampling those who chose to attend the event.
– Second – it has absolutely no bearing on whether my comment is right or wrong. I responded to your suggestion that this isn’t a MAGA event by showing Trump actually saying this will be a Trump rally (which I think most would equate with MAGA events, yes?). Posting an article that describes some attendees feelings about the first few days of events does nothing to actually disprove anything previously said.
– Third – the article quotes folks who say they didn’t hear any politics at event, and then additionally shares: ” His speech was preceded by fighter jet flyovers and performances by military bands, as well as a partisan speech by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who derided the musical acts that pulled out, saying the military bands were “way better than those libtards that canceled on us.”
—– do you think “libtards” is a non-partisan term!!!
And finally – and this is the icing on the cake – the article YOU SHARED confirms Sally’s point that this Freedom250 is distinct from America250, which was created 10 years ago to plan a nonpartisan celebration. “The 16-day event was put together by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership the Trump administration created to organize events in the capital related to the nation’s semiquincentennial. The group bills itself as nonpartisan and is separate from America250, a group Congress created 10 years ago to prepare for the U.S.’ 250th anniversary.”
I’d love to hear your rebuttal to somehow try to justify the nonpartisan underpinnings of “libtard.” Your move, dude.
dear Libtard, throw me in with Upstate.
One of the persons interviewed in the linked article said this:
“Daniela Guerrero, 25, lives here and came to the state fair expecting to see Republican-tinged programming.
“I think we heard a lot, like in our communities, that it was gonna be like a MAGA rally,” she said. Her friend Grace Guber, 27, echoed, “100%.”
“It, I think, has been very much nonpartisan,” Guerrero added. “The people showing up have been a mix of tourists just trying to, like, celebrate freedom.”
Funny how she’s just one of a handful of deplorables. But MSM has spent the last few years interviewing EVEN LESS THAN A HANDFUL with anti-Trump opinions, after publishing HEADLINES like NYT’s “President Trump’s Claims of No Collusion are Hogwash.” and then have the nerve to go out and interview public opinion. “Voters Unhappy with Trump” another good example from PEnn
{https://ozeunleashed.substack.com/p/the-top-40-media-hoaxes-about-donald
Only half of Trump’s followers were supposed to be in the basket of deplorable, but the other half climbed in with them to defend misogynists, racists, xenophobes, and those who sexually assault children.
And here you are, joining the basket.
Correct. You left wing nuts painted 1/4 of the country as nazis, and 1/2 of the country said F#$K YOU.
When you call millions of people “misogynists, racists, xenophobes, and those who sexually assault children.”
YOUR the problem.
All the national news I see has replublicans defending children from sexual predators and democrats with their head in the sand.
ATS
Still do not grasp that you have lied so much you are not credible.
Regardless WHO CARES ?
You want to celebrate with drag queens and pride flags – Go for it.
You want to shill for AOC and democrats – go for it.
Each of us and every organization is free to celebrate however we please.
You can be politial – or not, Partisan or not.
It does not matter.
But you do not get to pi$$ on others for celebrating their way.
Upstate was right.. Waiting for you’re retraction.
It’s NOT hard to look this up ano. Sally is wrong too.
Try again.
ATS
You have lied so much no one belives you
Next – the 250th aniversary is not a bipartisan event – it is a national event – Nearly all of us are involved and can do as we please.
Most of the celebrations will be completely out of the control of the federal govenrment.
If you fly a flag on your yard or set off fireworks – that is YOU – not the govenrment celebrating.
If YOU wish to make it political or celebrate the forth with pride flags and drag queens – you are free to do so.
Everyone can celebrate in their own way.
What you can not do is pi$$ over the celebrations of others.
Make Algae Green Again
America250 was to celebrate America’s 250th year. Freedom250 is to showcase Trumps Arch.
We won’t fight your forever wars if you Democrats keep acting like this. Who wants to die for DIE Sally? Not me.
Correction, DEI Sally, not DIE Sally. My apologies.
“Who wants to die for DEI?” I want the MAGAs to.
Sally, you just wrote, for al to see, that you want your political opponents to die. Are you happy about being such a hateful, violent little loser?
HullBobby,
That is the hate and rage the good professor talks about, on full display for all to see. This is the face of the mob Schumer, Jeffries and the other Democrats pander to or incite with their rage rhetoric.
The real question is, who is the dupe? Sally? Or Schumer, Jeffries et al.?
Finkel IS Einhorn!
Who is the dupe? You are, if you think Republicans vs Democrats is a meaningful game to play.
I am a patriot who will defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. MAGAs are not political opponents, they are enemies of the the US and our freedoms. How is this different than all the very violent threats made by MAGAs against Ds on this blog?
You could not be more wrong.
MAGA is for America, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, law and order.
You proved you are anti-American by your comment at 11:08AM. The Democrat party is NOT the party of law and order. They are the party of censorship. Of open borders, cashless bail. Of defending criminals and demonizing the victims.
And now, the Democrat party is the party of a Nazi tattoo sporting, abusive, misogynist. A anti-American socialist who wants to get rid of prisons, the police socialist. And dont forget anti-Jews too.
Show us the violent threats against Democrats on the good professor’s blog.
MAGA is the party that did the first attempted coup in US history. And elected a pedo as president. And is ok with Trump breaking any law he wants.
Your comments do not anger me. Instead, the ignorance frightens me.
ROFL
All you are doing is proving that YOU are the totalitarian.
There have been several attempted coups in US history – J6 was NOT one of those.
There are plenty of Pedo’s in office – Trump is not one.
I have not seen Trump break any actual laws. I have seen left wing nuts accuse Trump of breaking laws that do not exist or that they have made up.
Nor is this about Trump. People voted for him – because you have done to them, what you did to him.
You have spied on them, censured them, sent swat teams to their homes. arrested them for free speech.
YOU are totalitarians.
YOU are the actual nazi’s
YOU are the danger to the country.
And Yes, Trump has disempowered you. But all you have to do to regain power is to follow th constitution and the law,
To enact your totalitarian nonsense – lawfully and constitutionally.
Bail is determined on the basis of whether the person will be a danger. It should not be used as a financial punishment for those of less wealth than those who could afford it from their spare change.
For those who put 10%, a non-refundable 10%, to a bail bond, it just puts law enforcement into private hands.
By the by, Republicans voted for a misogynist for their President.
Let me know when the “anti-Jew” demonstrations are outside of Synagogs and not calling for cutting funding to Israel, a Zionist and, supposedly, non-theocratic state.
The danger of a person is ONE criteria for bail.
Another is assuring that you will show up for future legal proceedings.
Absolutely the better off can meet bail requirements. But even without bail – they have assets that government can confiscate if they refuse to comply.
All law is ultimately from the barrel of a gun. So not pass a law if you do not want men with guns enforcing it.
That includes tax laws. If you want people to pay their taxes – you MUST ultimately threaten their property, their liberty and even their lives if they resist.
Regardless it i the poor who have the advantage with the courts. You can not threaten to take a persons property if they have no property.
“I am a patriot who will defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. ”
Your repetitive attacks on this blog on the plain meaning of the 2nd Amendment shows that statement to be a blatant, outrageous lie. Go away, you worthless troll.
When did you serve in the military?
1972. You?
Mid 90s to early 2000s.
But your not. You force onto all of us a constitution that does not exist.
No MAGA is not enemies of the US – and what of your freedoms are being taken ?
NONE
But you infringe on others liberty all the time.
You want control – of everyone else, of their lives, their children their money.
And many of you will kill if you do not get what you want.
And far more will burn everything to ash rather than allow others their freedom.
You actually have your perverted wish come true; just look at the danger the DEIs pose onthe roads with the 18 wheelers, the sky with the DEI pilots. They are to die for alright.
May you pass first Sally!!
North Carolina is not a blue state. It has a Democrat for governor. But it has two Republican senators, a House delegation that is 10 to 4 Republican, and State Senate and State House Republican majorities. Key battles (Guilford Courthouse) were fought in North Carolina late in the Revolutionary War as the British proceeded on their route to defeat at Yorktown. It is disgraceful that there has been no vocal public blowback from these Republicans regarding the decision of the Governor to not send representation to the D.C. celebration.
They also seceded from the United States to join the Confederacy.
It’s up to the Legislature to approve funds to send a group to the Trumplican Birthday Party for Trump.
That’s the problem; who wouldn’t want to make America great again, and forever, for that matter. Small minded people can’t differentiate between the so called MAGA movement and the actual words. Well, we Americans don’t need these traitors anyway.
Blue States could’ve been there, like their singers, entertainers and celebrities. They are removing themselves.
The President is the national host. It’s what we elected him for
Conservative performers pulled out of this debacle. One performer got cut from the publicity photos after it was noted their mirrored sunglasses showed about 5 people in front of the stage. Quite the turnout.
There are at least two categories of Americans:
There is one group of Americans that want our children’s history books to be totally honest about American history. Showing the good, bad and ugly about American history. This groups prefers the truth that nobody is perfect, leaders are human and make mistakes and sometimes even do really bad things. This group believes by admitting we aren’t perfect (godlike) then we can create better policies and make better future decisions.
The other group wants American history to be fiction. Essentially adopting the communist model of figuratively “air-brushing out” any history that is bad or embarrassing. Communists would simply erase people in photographs like they never existed.
If Americans adopt the communist practice of turning history into fiction, school children receive a dishonest view of history and when they become adult voters, the USA repeats many of our worst mistakes since we never learned the lessons of history.
So here is a debate for voters: should America’s Independence Day be celebrated on June 19, 1965 instead of July 4? On July 4, 1776 not all Americans were free and treated equally under the law. Or should Independence Day be celebrated from 1920, when women received voting rights?
It’s not politically correct, but there was a bit of hypocrisy going on in 1776. There were ugly and divisive debates about this issue in the 1700’s. How could Americans participate in slavery while demanding independence for only some Americans?
Put yourself in the shoes of an African-American, in 1776 the Declaration of Independence didn’t include them. At minimum why would you celebrate July 4, 1776? Why would you respect the hypocrisy of the Founding Fathers?
The USA is still the greatest system of government on Earth and promoted by Martin Luther King, Jr to advance the rights of everyone. But we are not perfect and should we teach fiction to our children?
I think your presentation lacks not only truthfulness but rationality. NOBODY, not even Trump, is or was pushing DELETION of our nation’s early flaws in historical material. The issue is PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION of certain facts, vis-a-vis the endless drone of demanding mea culpas from persons even today.
What if side-by-side next to the slavery displays, we also had photographs of what life was like back in Africa, or the South seas? Maybe the brick dwellings with windows? The railroads that the tribes built? Their schools? Their modest dress? Their churches? Their steam engines and microscopes? Pens and pencils? Paper? ANY kind of written language? You like to talk DNA, showing that the human species owes its origin to Africa (since disproved, but not without its original significant fanfare), but we are mostly talking about the state-of-the-world throughout the latter 1700s and 1800s.
Maybe Trump should have demanded a few displays of the slave owners who dressed, educated, and treated their servants with extreme dignity, including making them estate beneficiaries. Funny that they also seem to not appear much in historical depictions.
This is your fifth or sixth comment this a.m. focusing on negativity. Try lemonade and a cold shower. Get over it. thanks.
Proportional Representation?
What percentage of slave owners do you think made their slaves “estate beneficiaries”? Most historians put it at well under 1%.
Of those, what percentage of these “fortunate” slaves actually received the bequeathed property? Most historians agree the actual success rate was nearly 0%. While a tiny fraction of slave owners attempted to leave property to enslaved people (usually alongside a mandate for their freedom), the legal and social systems of the Antebellum South were designed to prevent these transfers from ever succeeding.
Under Southern law, enslaved individuals were legally classified as property, not people. A piece of property could not legally sign a deed, hold a land title, or open a bank account, and even if a master left physical cash or land to an enslaved person, that property legally belonged to whoever owned the enslaved person at that moment.
White relatives almost always sued to overturn these wills, arguing that the deceased suffered from “insanity” or “undue influence.” White juries and judges then routinely ruled in favor of the white heirs.
Finally, there were banishment laws in the 1830s – 1850s in many Southern states, which declared that any slave freed by a will must leave the state within days. If forced to leave, they were re-enslaved and their bequeathed property was confiscated.
So yes, maybe I agree with you that proportional representation would be great. But, with that representation de minimis, the result would likely be the same.
Of course, if you have scholarship, which somehow shows that a material percentage of enslaved people actually received material property (and were not stripped of it), then please share.
As a lawyer Lin, you hopefully learned in your 1L Property class that you can’t leave your estate to your dog. In the Antebellum South, the same was true of slaves.
At least today, you can set up pet trusts.
aw, gee, no I didn’t know that. Thank you for educating me……
Gee, no, I knew nothing about chattel slavery…..
Actually, I was referring to manumission, testamentary directions to manumit, and judicial limitations on interfering with testamentary wills in probate to manumit all or certain slaves and bequeath them with property or monies as directed.
Even many Southern states passed legislation for manumission going back to the 1700s. Weren’t we just talking about selective history of the United States?
Have you heard those words before today?
Thanks for expounding on what I said, but my sentence on ‘proportional representation’ referred to the accurate presentation of information about slavery in previous centuries, alongside the paucity of display presentations or information about those who opposed slavery, freed their slaves, bequeathed property to slaves, etc. In other words, if there is a big display on slavery, I would expect historians also, and alongside such displays, be able to exhibit examples of old wills, petitions for manumission, trusts, etc. —from those who did not walk down that track. And maybe include some exhibits/displays of Blacks who sold or turned in each other.
Total transparency is a two-way street.
In response to your request, there are several documentary examples of wills and probate petitions (that I came across years ago in judicial records), but of course both
Even Virginia’s Act of 1782 declared:
“That it shall hereafter be lawful for any person, by his or her last will and testament, or by any other instrument in writing, under his or her hand and seal… to emancipate and set free, his or her slaves, or any of them…”
(1) https://dlas.uncg.edu/petitions/
(2) https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/applied-and-social-sciences-magazines/manumission
As I said, I only want fairness when it comes to proponents demanding “transparency.” I do not appreciate partisan or political narrative.
Lin, thank you for the links. It’s a fascinating area of legal history, but your sources actually illustrate why these wills rarely succeeded in practice.
Manumission: Your Encyclopedia.com article notes that as the 19th century progressed, restrictions grew. Ultimately, “by 1860 the majority of southern states removed all legislation that supported any kind of emancipation including manumission.”
The 1782 Virginia Act: While this post-Revolutionary law did briefly open the door for testamentary manumission, Virginia heavily restricted it in 1806 by requiring freed individuals to leave the state within 12 months or face re-enslavement. By the 1850s, the state banned testamentary manumission altogether.
The DLAS Petitions Database: The Digital Library on American Slavery is an incredible resource, but its records primarily document the uphill legal battles enslaved people faced. It is filled with petitions begging courts to uphold wills that white heirs and juries were actively contesting or dismantling.
Most importantly, you moved the goalposts, legally-speaking (yes, I am also a lawyer and very familiar with manumission). Legally, there is a strict distinction between a directive to free someone (manumission) and making them a property beneficiary. Because enslaved individuals were legally classified as chattel property, they lacked the legal capacity to inherit land or assets at the moment of the testator’s death.If we look at the actual data from the resources you provided, the success rate of an enslaved person successfully inheriting an estate was functionally de minimis. Total transparency requires looking at how the Southern legal system was explicitly engineered to prevent these exact scenarios from succeeding. The fundamental 1L property principle remains: under the laws of the Antebellum South, you could not legally bequeath an estate to property.
If we can agree that a fully transparent display could show that there were white slaveowners who wanted to bequeath their land to their enslaved persons, but that ultimately close to none of these transfers were successful—highlighting the systemic racism that was part of the governance structure of the Southern state governments at the time—then I would be supportive of such a display.
Ha Ha. following this discussion. I’ll bet money that X never heard of manumission.
No, I’m sorry. It is you who moved the goalposts. You are disagreeing with your own ghosted imagination. I never denied that Southern states fought both emancipation and probated bequests/ and/or how unpopular it may have been to many. And how they may have suffered if they attempted to support such notions in front of state legislatures representing the deep pockets.
And you are circumventing my point: you seem to gloat in pointing out the “proportional” reality that attempts to better the lives of slaves failed. But that was not the point. We will never know how many slave owners (a large percentage of which simply inherited slaves)–or the population as a whole-opposed slavery, will we?
But you would be forced to admit upon examination that little to none of the enclosed examples of anti-slavery sentiment or measures were likely included in any subject displays on slavery: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african-american-odyssey/abolition.html My expressed sentiment was directed at THAT reality.
So my simple point is/was: did those original slave exhibits and displays even care to MENTION things that I brought up?
Finally, I respectfully doubt that you were “very” familiar with manumission; based on your frequent submissions here, your entire response is pure AI (grammarly much?) and I suspect a great number of attorneys also are/were not “very familiar” with it. As others have pointed out, you do try to be an expert on multiple subjects.
(I certainly was never taught about it; my knowledge comes from genealogical and judicial research years ago).
thanks anyway.
“Most slave owners badly abused their slaves but, sometimes, after putting upon them a lifetime of abuse, the slave owner arranged for a chance for the slave to run away after the slave owner no longer had need of them because the slave owner was dead. This is proof that slavery wasn’t entirely bad.”
Wow… You literally said you wanted “proportional representation” in the post to which I first responded.
Now… “That is not the point.” And “we will never know how many slaveowners opposed slavery.”
But I’m moving the goalposts.
Also…. There are plenty examples on manumission on display. For example the Arlington House Robert E Memorial and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Took about 3 seconds of googling to disprove your statement that slave exhibits don’t bring it up
Finally, yes manumission was a topic that my property law and trusts/estates professor, Prof. Alfred Brophy, at UNC cared about a lot about.
“Legally, there is a strict distinction between a directive to free someone (manumission) and making them a property beneficiary.”
did you notice that the original sentence that got your dander up says “….judicial limitations on interfering with testamentary wills in probate to manumit all or certain slaves AND bequeath them with property or monies as directed.” Do you kinda notice that one follows the other?
This is completely incorrect in so many ways.
1) The airbrushing of American history is not by the right these days, but by the left who want to airbrush out all the good things about America and ONLY show the bad things. Not only that, but make up new bad things to insert that are completely ahistorical, such as the fiction that America was built on slavery.
2) The Declaration of Independence DID include African-Americans. There were black freeman in the country at the time. Some of them were former slaves, some had never been slaves, and some of them were even slave owners themselves. Additionally, there were indentured white people, but you would to airbrush them out of history because it hurts your overarching narrative of “white people are oppressors”.
One of my favorite bits of history of the late 1700s is that when an escaped slave reached the North, he would sue in court to have his freedom recognized. In this court, he would, of course, go in front of an all-white jury, and every single time that jury would recognize him as a free man. You could not find a jury in the North that wouldn’t. This is why the South would later demand things like the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act that would so enrage the North.
Asking why black people would celebrate the Independence Day shows the depravity of your thought processes. Why would they celebrate it? Because they are Americans. You don’t see black people as Americans. You would segregate us into clans and have us constantly fight one another over old grudges. Would you tell a newly naturalized immigrant that they shouldn’t celebrate Independence Day because their ancestors weren’t involved, or may even have been on the opposite side? You probably would, because you see immigrants as another clan you can add to further balkanize the country and tear it down.
You would create a false history that America is the great satan. That all white people are guilty of original sin. You would tear this country down rather than recognize its greatness, because you cannot abide that you stand on the shoulders of giants.
inaccurate….
In the late 1700s and early 1800s, an escaped slave would never voluntarily walk into a Northern court to sue for freedom. Doing so would be legal suicide. Under Article IV of the U.S. Constitution (the Fugitive Slave Clause) and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, runaway slaves were still legally considered property. Entering a courtroom voluntarily would alert authorities to their location, leading to immediate arrest and return to the South
The famous “freedom suits” (like Dred Scott v. Sandford) were typically brought by enslaved people who were taken into free territories by their masters and lived there for years, not by runaway fugitives.
In the late 1700s and early 1800s, widespread racism existed in the North. Many Northern states still practiced gradual emancipation, meaning there were still enslaved people living in the North.
Many Northern judges and jurors strictly followed the law. If a Southern master brought documentation proving ownership, Northern courts routinely ruled in the master’s favor and sent the fugitive back. It was only in the 1840s and 1850s—decades later—that abolitionist sentiment grew strong enough in specific pockets (like Boston) to make slave recovery difficult
The South did not demand the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 because of Northern juries; they demanded it because Northern states were passing laws to bypass juries entirely. Northern states passed “Personal Liberty Laws”. These laws forbade state officials, state jails, and state judges from helping Southern slave catchers. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld this in Prigg v. Pennsylvania (1842), ruling that while the federal government could enforce slave reclamation, it could not force state governments to do the heavy lifting.
The most ironic error in your statement is that the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 explicitly banned jury trials for accused runaways. Under the 1850 Act: Accused fugitives were brought before a single federal commissioner, not a jury. The accused person was legally forbidden from testifying in their own defense. Commissioners were paid $10 if they found the person to be a slave, but only $5 if they set them free.
Anonymous,
I really like your comment about the left and how they see America — a collection of disparate groups to be pitted against each other, to foment distrust and hate.
Let me add to that.
I see many leftists on this blog refer to anyone who voted for Trump, supports his desire to imporve America, etc, as “MAGAs”.
I registered as Republican, back in 1992. I voted for Trump 3 times. Why? Not because he’s perfect, not because he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, an angel, because God ordained him, etc. Rather I voted for him because I want illegals out of this country. I want law & order to triumph, I want elections to be free, fair, and voters to *ONLY* be American citizens, etc.
I am not, and stress, *NOT* a MAGA!
MAGA stands for Make Ameirca Great Again. MAGa is a concept, an idea, a desire — not a thing. My name is Ron, I chose to be Republican, and I just happen to believe in the concept, idea, and desire to Make America Great Again.
If people don’t like that, well, that’s just tough! As Rush used to say, “Learn it, love it, live it!” Zero apologies here!
“The Declaration of Independence DID include African-Americans. ”
But the Declaration of Independence didn’t set the basis for laws. In that document they said that African-Americans in the majority of their population would have 3/5ths of their rights stolen and given to their owners. The fact that the ownership of one human being by another was an abomination and the founders knew it, but forced labor camps were so profitable that belief that all men were created equal, even if born into slavery, was a hollow promise.
Yep. It would be nice if we had a history book on how a Black Prez started a WAR in Libya for no good reason, and now that country sells (blacks) as slaves.
When did Libya shoot back? It’s not a war if only one side is shooting.
While it’s important to know and to understand our true history, it is equally more important to know and understand who we are today and how our history has evolved to what we are now. It is the genius of our founders that has facilitated this change “toward a more perfect Union”. Name another country in history that has similarly done so, successfully.
Progressive left types, especially those indoctrinated by our education/media industry, tend to have the emotional depth of a 2 year old spoiled toddler. If the situation doesn’t give them what they want they have a tantrum and pick up their toys and leave. They are not above inflicting pain either, just as a toddler will bite another toddler in an act of self-possessed self-service. There really is nothing more to them other than an a total lack of self-discipline and the ability to think logically. One toddler can be effectively dealt with by a good parent, streets full of angry, irrational toddlers with weapons and funding is another matter all together. We had best be getting a handle on how to deal with these hordes of spoiled brats and morons. I would suggest a heavy emphasis of cutting off the funding from dark sources first and a thorough dis-infestation of progressive ideology/islamism from our education/media industry. If these types gain control of government we can kiss this nation good bye.
A lot of accusations there from a someone echoing the party line. An empty space, empty of thought, reason, and empathy.
The medical report regarding Trump’s latest visit to Walter Reed Hospital documented that he was seen by 22 specialist physicians.
Claiming that it “has to be some kind of record,” Donald J. Trump boasted about the “enormous” crowd size at his medical appointments.
“There were so many doctors at my last physical, there wasn’t room for them all,” he bragged. “They never turned out like that for Obama.”
He said that he was considering demolishing Walter Reed National Military Medical Center because “I’m going to need a bigger hospital.”
Basking in his ability to draw such a huge crowd, Trump noted, “I haven’t had so many people touching me since Epstein’s island.”
According to estimates, the turnout at Trump’s most recent physical was far bigger than at his Great American State Fair.
I wonder who the unlucky sod among them was the one who had to give him his rectal exam?
With Trump it is hard to tell the difference between his oral exam and his rectal exam.
All those doctors and they still can’t tell us what’s wrong with him.
Oh, they know what’s wrong with him, they just can’t SAY it out loud on the record
hilarious to watch this ( ) talk back and forth with himself.
I agree !!
It is good to see that someone here has raised the tone of this discussion to a much higher level of intelligent discourse.
Definitely!!
This level of discussion is on a much higher intellectual plane than the usual nonsense from Turley and his acolytes.
(try to spread your back and forth a few more minutes apart. So sorry that you don;t have any REAL friends to engage with, such that you have to engage in multiple personality syndrome.)
I hope this guy becomes a regular contributor here.
He adds so much more to the discussion, bringing it to a much more interesting and cerebral level than the usual comments here.
Psychiatric patient ANON! Feels the need to post 50 times per day!!
See what I mean.
Our contributor at 10:06 offers much more intelligent comments than this drivel from K.
You are right!!
This K character is a loser who never contributes anything of any significance. Just these stupid insults.
The contributor at 0:06 has much more to offer than this idiot.
Unfortunately the contributions of K are all too typical of the extraordinarily low level of discourse here.
then why are you here? You certainly are adding to that personal perception
Only you would know what his rectum looks like. After all, you’re up it 24 hrs a day seven days a week.
I think you are mistaken.
You are probably referring to Lady G., the senior senator from S. Carolina.
Psych Ward will pick ANON up shortly. Deranged Anti-social behavior.
yawn… He’s no biden. That’s for sure.
A big difference to when Biden was there; all they needed was a mortician.
Democrats would make a mistake boycotting the July 4 event created by Congress a decade ago called the “America 250” event.
If Democrats are silent, you are letting the most foreign-minded president promoting foreign models of government own the American flag. Simply wrapping yourself in the flag doesn’t make you American or patriotic.
The American flag is a symbol of a “constitutional democratic republic” and every official (including presidents) swear supreme loyalty to follow and defend our U.S. Constitution and the constitutional-rule-of-law through the oath of office.
This president despises the American system of government and favors foreign style dictatorships over the Founding Fathers’ model of government. Democrats can’t let this highly disloyal American define patriotism.
Get some help you TDS moron. Every day you spew your nonsensical lies and misinformation here. Trump has been the most American President since Ronald Reagan. He’s rooted out the Socialist Party and exposed them for the Communists they are.
For America’s 250th anniversary, let me be the first to say GFY.
Reagan was an actor and not a particularly good one.
“This president [. . .] favors foreign style dictatorships . . .”
Given the Left’s turn to socialism/communism, I recommend not mentioning “foreign style dictatorships.”
I have one serious question for everyone.
Why in the world did our revolutionary forefathers wear those stupid wide-brimmed hats? can you imagine charging into battle on a fast horse trying to keep your hat on?
Lin
Shade in the sun, cover in the rain and winter and clearly identifiable in the smoke of a black powder battle.
They should have made them white or at least light. Can’t imagine the HEAT on their poor heads (The Brits weren’t much better.)
Hard to hide a white had in an ambush💀
Trust me, they were a much tougher breed of men and women in those days.
OK you win. good point. thx
Lin, I am more curious about why men still wear ties? What is the reasoning behind the long, narrow piece of cloth hanging off of male necks when they deem it a moment of importance?
I gave up on ties many years ago and I probably don’t even know how to make one these days.
Sorry Lin, your comment asks a great question but I saw an opportunity to vent my spleen about a different sartorial choice.
Whew, finally got that one off of my chest.
Ha! You big baby. Try wearing panty hose under your suit. (remember those old ties that looked like a colored clothesline pulled together right under your neck with some medal or something? Maybe that was before us? I really don’t remember them, just saw them in yearbook photos. 60s? 70s?
“curious about why men still wear ties?”
I’m not going to do any new research, but iirc neckties were a British adornment to distinguish between social classes. Guess the habit just hung around from inertial.
Congress created (non-partisan) events about a decade ago, this year’s event created by Congress is named “America 250”. This event is inclusive to everyone.
Trump essentially created a second event, basically a partisan MAGA rally on the National Mall favoring Republicans called “Freedom 250”.
Trump’s unpatriotic goal was to divide and disrupt Americans, so some groups are not appearing for Trump’s partisan political event. Any president that divides Americans is only helping our enemies by making the nation weaker.
Trump wanted to celebrate his own birthday, but his wife and children weren’t going to attend, so he forced as many others as he could to show up. There were some curious to gander at the spectacle, but they numbered in the dozens, much as onlookers view any train wreck.
Something is wrong with the world today
I see what it is…
I hate to say it bur a bout of truly hard times often brings American people back to center and grounds them. Not talking G’vt hand out save us hard times, Im talking waking up not knowing if you will tomorrow, cold, hungry, tired and dirty hard times.
Ah, the old game of divide and conquer. We are E pluribus unum, not E pluribus duorum.
(although I must admit that on our elementary school bus at the beginning of the school year (shared between two small schools, parochial and municipal), we would ask our new friends, “are you Catholic or public?”)
As I attend festivities in the coming days, -if I should come across someone from Pennsylvania, I will cry Hurrah! and raise his/her arm in praise and recognition, making sure to draw attention to the strength of character 0f this person or persons, in support of our united effort to strengthen the Good of the nation. (True for persons from any of the “declining” states.)
Is “sports” the only arena/forum in which we can set aside our differences and instead celebrate our united strength?
Private companies in NC stepped up to fund the NC display!
Is their’s the exhibit on old American values where they demonstrate the checking of muscle and teeth before purchasing a slave?