THE LAW: Spirit of Marshall & Madison

The legal precedents that apply to Orval Faubus v. the U.S. reach all the way back to a September night during the Revolutionary War when a Connecticut fisherman named Gideon Olmstead, two seamen and a boy, imprisoned aboard the British sloop Active, rose up and overpowered 14 British sailormen and captured the ship for the 13 states. Couple of days later the heroes were themselves chased, caught and captured, not by the British but by the armed brig Convention, in the service of Pennsylvania. They were hauled into the port of Philadelphia,...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!