| Summary: | The plaintiff Scott was held in slavery by the defendant Williams; the object of his suit was to prove his status as a freeman. He introduced an indenture binding his mother, Jemima, to Williams's father as a free woman of colour. Scott himself was given as a slave by Williams's father to Williams. Jemima was the daughter of Jane Scott, and the plaintiff attempted to prove that Jane had been free. Justice Daniel instructed the jury that in trying to determine the status of Jane Scott they might consider her colour. If she was of a black African complexion, they might presume from that fact that she was a slave; if she was of a yellow complexion, no presumption of slavery arose from her color. A verdict was returned from the plaintiff awarding him substantial damages, and the defendant appealed. The Supreme Court affirmed the verdict.
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