Fair for Its Day: Difference between revisions

** In large part because the laws at the time meant 'free' blacks could easily be re-enslaved, especially if they weren't educated or under someone's protection. This is why Thomas Jefferson didn't free his slaves—the loop hole Washington (freed in his will) used was closed by the time Jefferson died.

* Despite being stereotyped as well, "Puritanical", the laws of the Plymouth colony were advanced for the era including restrictions on the number of lashes that could be sentenced as punishment(to a maximum of thirty-nine by the Torah-reading ruling class of New England) even in a military court. Likewise there were legal protections against domestic abuse and adultery penalties were enforced against both spouses.

* The Inquisition is usually portrayed as a sinister and oppressive organization. However, The Papal Inquisition was the first European secret police more than anything else. The Inquisition was also revolutionary lenient for its time, as it limited the use of torture (which was very common in secular courts), allowed the defendants legal representation, and issued death sentences much less often than in municipal proceedings where petty thieves usually were sent to swing. However all this pales compared to the fact that the Inquisition rose above its contemporary courts in [[wikipedia:Presumption of innocence|placing the burden of evidence on the prosecutor]]. You are reading that correctly; the Inquisition invented the legal concept of 'innocent until proven guilty'.

** And the Spanish Inquisition ended witch trials in Spain a full century before the rest of Europe because it required scientific proof of witchcraft — not just eyewitness accounts.