Courtroom battles often produce sensational scenes resulting in curious spectators and endless news coverage. From ancient to modern times, trials attract significant attention. This collection explores some of the most-fascinating.
In April of 1770, Thomas Jefferson did his best to help free a slave whose mother was white. Jefferson's client was Samuel Howell. Without ch...
There is an official trial record of the Boston-Massacre defendants (which also includes the indictment against them). This is a page from that trial...
In addition to shipments by sea, bootleggers sent and received shipments by rail. A typical operation in Cleveland would list bogus products and compa...
This is page 2 of the May 12, 1932 report detailing the investigation into illegal transport of alcoholic beverages from Cleveland to Tacoma. Click o...
Whoever wrote this draft press release can barely contain his glee at the prospect of indictments coming down against high-ranking officials. Th...
As noted in the book which tells the story of the Amistad captives - compiled by John W. Barber and published by himself and E.L. Barber in 1840 - Jam...
James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, disagreed with the Naval Court of Inquiry's opinion. He issued his own assessment in two differing forma...
James Otis wrote that the "lust of power" leads to an abuse of political power.
When he represented the Amistad captives in the U.S. Supreme Court, John Quincy Adams personally handwrote his briefs. This image depicts one of...
Long after his death as a martyr in England, John Rogers was remembered in America. His story was included in a children’s text book in Ne...
This image depicts a page from the 9th edition of Fox’s Book of Martyrs. Influenced by William Tyndale, John Rogers was a Catholic priest...
During his trial, in the summer of 1867, John Surratt produced witnesses who swore he was in Elmira, New York the day after Lincoln's shooting. ...
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