Laws and Rules Directory
The foundational laws for Colonization are the Ten Rules of the Doctrine of Discovery. One way to think about how subsequent Laws and Rules were established based on the Doctrine, is to divide those legal and government activities into three time frames. The first period was during the ‘Age of Discovery’ when colonizing countries and their appointed invaders followed the Doctrine’s Rules. The last period can be characterized as the time of occupation and settlement. Most of the laws from this later time were established to subdue and restrict the conquered natives. The middle time frame hasn’t a clear beginning nor ending. It was a time of devious schemes and significant confusion for all the affected parties. Both the dishonest plans and the disorientation were centered around a pretty simple question – “Who owns the land?” While that sounds like a question of property rights – and it is that – the final resolution of the question affected much more than land titles.
The one legal case that historians and scholars feel is the most pivotal and best explains how the question of land ownership was resolved, is the United States Supreme Court case of Johnson v. McIntosh. The following articles present a brief review of this important precedent setting case as it progressed through the three time periods.
Johnson v. McIntosh; SCOTUS Case Background
Johnson v. McIntosh; SCOTUS Case Ruling
Johnson v. McIntosh; SCOTUS Case Legacy
As I discover new information about Laws and Rules, additional articles will be included in the Colonization *Footnotes website and added to this Directory.