Johnson V Mcinntosh Case Brief Summary

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Name and Citation: Johnson v. McIntosh, 21 U.S. (8 Wheat) 543 (1823) Court: U.S. Supreme Court Judicial History: Trial court returned verdict for the defendant (McIntosh). Johnson appealed up to the U.S. Supreme Court. Facts: In 1773, Thomas Johnson bought land from the Piankeshaw tribe in the Northwest Territory, which is present-day Illinois. This purchased was made possible by the King of England’s 1763 proclamation. Then, William McIntosh acquired the rights to that same piece of land from the United States federal government. The plaintiffs in this particular case were the heirs of Thomas Johnson. Since they had inherited the land, the plaintiffs filed a suit against McIntosh and asked the Illinois District Court to affirm that McIntosh’s claim to said land was invalid. Since said land was purchased from the Native Americans, Johnson’s heirs disputed that their claim was more authentic. The Illinois District Court sided with McIntosh since Congress granted the title he had received for the land. Johnson’s heirs then appealed the case to the Supreme Court. Issue(s): Can Indians give a …show more content…

William McIntosh (1823) court case it states "So, too, with respect to the concomitant principle, that the Indian inhabitants are to be considered merely as occupants, to be protected, indeed, while in peace, in the possession of their lands, but to be deemed incapable of transferring the absolute title to others." Chief Justice Marshall provided a thorough historical account of European land accession in America and laid out the “discovery doctrine” that was agreed upon. The nation that made the discovery gained control over Indian regulations. It’s not up to the court to question the right of title since (historically) the United States has the authority to grant the land, not the Indians. Therefore, Indians were merely occupants and could possess the land but could not transfer titles to private

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