Fines Quotes
John Lackland, c. 1167-1216. Sealed under duress and later repudiated by the King with Papal assistance
This document was a type of Magna Carta but far earlier.
Theoretically every male citizen was supposed to serve in the Militia at that time. But if one did not, the penalty was a small fine. It became a status symbol. Those middle and upper class men who could get commissions as officers would serve, but those who did not have the political connections or the money to equip his own troops, would rather pay the fine than serve with men he thought beneath him. There is a , romantic American myth about the Militiamen in Colonial and Revolutionary America—the citizen soldiers who would leave their farms and rise to the military necessity of the day. However, not only were the militia very hard to muster to duty, but most actually didn’t own or have experience with firearms, and the prevailing opinion of knowledgeable military leaders from George Washington on down was that the militia were not very good soldiers. See {613015}, {613016}, {613022}, {613027}, {621987}, {621988}, {613030}, {613033}, & {613056}
With the exception of during church, drinking was allowed. However, inviting others to drink was prohibited. In a sense there is a modern European parallel in that drinking is legal in most countries but advertising alcohol on television is not. The deed is allowed; the marketing, not.
Manava Dharma Shastra. The caste system in action. Note however that the highest caste aristocrats could not abuse even lower caste women with impunity the way that was common in early Christian Europe. However, the punishment was not death as required by Muslim law—see {590409}. This text is a part of the Hindu Holy Texts. Hindus believe that Manu was a prophet whose text is revealed or inspired.
The major targets of this law were the Puritans who would not attend the normal Church of England services but had their own, usually in a private home.
This document was a type of Magna Carta but far earlier.
Jackson was then a rising young military officer and politician. He had been found guilty of abusing his power to declare and implement martial law. He was a character. He bragged about his “respectful submission” to the law by paying the fine, but ignored the legal violations he committed to be sentenced to the fine.
Although it seems incredible to us today, thousands of people were arrested and prosecuted under the Espionage Act. The government particularly targeted leftists such as Eugene V. Debs, Bill Haywood, J. Philip Randolph, Victor Berger, John Reed, Max Eastman, and Emma Goldman. Debs was sentenced to 20 years in prison for criticizing the Act itself.
Mulcts were fines. This was the then common view of educated people regarding the criminal justice system and what we would consider today as barbarous punishments. Note the view that those who had money should pay fines for some crimes but those without money should have their bodies mutilated for the same crimes.
