Walker

vs. Jennison, a case, the decision in which in 1783 was the death-blow to slavery in Ma achusetts. A negro servant had been beaten and imprisoned by a citizen who claimed him as a slave. The public would not overlook the offense. The Supreme Court held in Worcester County judged the defendant guilty of a ault and fined him forty shillings. The court held that the State Constitution of 1750, in declaring all men free and equal, had abolished slavery in Ma achusetts.