Wiki Law School will soon be moving! Please update your bookmarks. Our future address is www.wikilawschool.org |
Johnson v. M'Intosh
From wikilawschool.net. Wiki Law School does not provide legal advice. For educational purposes only.
Johnson v. M'Intosh | |
Court | Supreme Court of the United States |
---|---|
Citation | 21 U.S. 543 |
Date decided | February 23, 1823 |
Facts
- Between 1773 & 1775 (when "Native Americans") owned lands without titles, "Johnson" purchased large tracts of land from a number of tribes in southern Illinois.
- In 1819, Johnson died.
- His son "Johnson" & grandson "Graham" inherited the land.
- In 1818, the US government deeded 12,000 acres to M'Intosh which also included the land Johnson had bought from Amerindians
Procedural History
- Johnson & Graham sought an ejectment order against M'Intosh in the federal district of Illinois court.
- M'Intosh won in the district court.
- Johnson appealed directly to SCOTUS.
Issues
Is a land grant by the United States government superior to an Amerindian land grant?
Holding
John Marshall : Yes. The title granted by the United States government is superior to a previously granted Native American title.
Reasons
The land sold to Johnson by the Native Americans were within the lands claimed by the English crown by the Rule of Discovery which had been granted to the Virginia Colony (in those times "Virginia" encompassed many states of today including Illinois).
Rule
Rule of Discovery in the early 1800s
Resources