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Pictured here is Joseph Story's hometown, Marblehead, MA

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Joseph Story was born September  18, 1779, in Marblehead, Massachusetts in the same bloodline as one of the participants in the Boston Tea Party. Ever since he was a child, he was a natural born leader, refusing to participate in any games that forced him to be a follower. His inquisitive nature naturally got him into trouble at school as he eventually left school to study on his own. This served well for him as he was accepted into Harvard University in 1795.

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Sketched drawing of Joseph Story

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At Harvard University, Story studied law and graduated second of his class with honors in 1798. He began to study under Samuel Putnam and Chief Justice Samuel Sewall and eventually entered the bar in 1801. He decided to stay local and open his own practice in Salem, Massachusetts where he participated in local and state courts.

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In 1805, Story was elected to Massachusetts state legislature as a Jeffersonian Republican. This was until 1808 where he served for a year in the U.S. House of Representatives. His time in the House of Representatives was shortlived however as Thomas Jefferson villianized Story as a person who went against the beliefs of his own party as a result of attempting to repeal one of Thomas Jefferson's foreign trade embargos. Story served again in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1810 and was granted Speaker of the House. On November 15th, 1811, President James Madison picked Story to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. On November 18th, 1811, Joseph Story was confirmed at the mere age of 32 as one of the only young justices with no prior judicial experience.

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Pictured is Thomas Jefferson, originator of Jeffersonian Republicanism.

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Joseph Story is a Jeffersonian Republican with strong leanings towards nationalist ideals. He believes that a strong national government is one that supports the financial workings of the economy including interstate and international commerce. He is in favor of the government supporting industries to accelerate economic and moral success.

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Supreme Court building pictured up above

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This case was imperative to establishing the Supreme Court as the highest level of federal jurisdiction. This case's origins date back to the Revolutionary War, where the state of Virginia gave a portion of Loyalist Fairfax's land to David Hunter without knowledge from his nephew Thomas Martin. Thomas sued and while the Virginia State Court was in favor of Martin, the Court of Appeals final decision was that the land was owed to Hunter. Justice Joseph Story then began pushing for federal intervention, stating that it was in written in the Constitution that they may intervene with Congress's permission. He argued that the Supreme Court should have final word when interpreting such laws and due to Story's rationale and a 6-0 ruling, the land was given back to Martin and the appelate authority of the Supreme Court over state courts was established.

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United States v. Schooner Amistad (1841)

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United States v. Schooner Amistad (1841)

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A Spanish ship The Amistad left Cuba with African slaves onboard. During this incident, the slaves revolted and killed the captain of the shp to which passenger Montez decided that these slaves should be tried. Joseph Story after hearing that the Africans were free and forcibly kidnapped by the men on the ship, decided that since these men were in fact not slaves, that they should not be tried on the basis of their deserved rights. By 7-1 majority, Story delivered the opinion.

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Pictured is the Ship of Amistad where African free slaves raided and killed some of their capturers in 1839.

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Margaret Morgan was female slave who was emancipated by her owner John Ashmore. She moved to Pennsylvania from Maryland and her owner wanted her bak, requesting Edward Priggs to capture her. However, it was against Pennsylvania Law to recapture slaves in their borders from other states. Story's position was that this law was unconstitutional as it violated the Fugitive Slave Act and he firmly believed federal law superceded state law. He affirmed that state laws regarding recapturing slaves in free states needed to be federally approved and it was a majority opinion. This decision was said to have factored in the movement towards a Civil War.

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Story was planning on leaving the court but died unexpectably in 1845 due to illness. His court cases were all significant in the way they shaped how the judicial system currently runs as well as the construction of the nation.

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Pictured up top is Joseph Story at the brink of his career as a Supreme Court Justice

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“Joseph Story.” Oyeza, 2020, www.oyez.org/justices/joseph_story. Accessed 20 Dec. 2020.

“Joseph Story Papers 1794-1851.” Umich.Edu, 2011, quod.lib.umich.edu/c/clementsead/umich-wcl-M-1387sto?view=text. Accessed 20 Dec. 2020.

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Mosvick, Nicholas. “On This Day, the Supreme Court Decides Prigg v. Pennsylvania | The National Constitution Center.” Constitutioncenter.org, 2020, constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/blog/on-this-day-the-supreme-court-decides-prigg-v-pennsylvania. Accessed 20 Dec. 2020.

“The Supreme Court . The Court and Democracy . Landmark Cases . Martin v. Hunter’s Lessee (1816) | PBS.” Thirteen.org, 2020, www.thirteen.org/wnet/supremecourt/democracy/landmark_martin.html. Accessed 20 Dec. 2020.

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