"The writs of assistance case" against the backdrop of a stormy decade of 1761-1770 in the English colonies of North America
Abstract
The author deals in his article with the problematics of the "writ of the assistance case" in the year 1761 which was later labeled by the American president John Adams as the moment when the child of American independency was born. Firstly the author make us familiar with the legal aspects of this theme whereas mentions as well its statutory anchorage and practises.
Further he goes over to the concrete representation of the Paxton's case in which scope was the "writ of assistance case" heard. He emphasizes especially the argumentation of James Otis before the Supreme Court of Massachusetts who pleaded against the issuing of the "writs of assistance".
In the next section of his article the author deals with the constitutional aspects of the beginning rupture between the colonies and the mother country. In this connection make us again familiar with the argumentation of James Otis this time concerning the competency of the British Parliament towards the colonies.
Further he deals as well with the phenomenom of the Grenville's acts and the resistence against them (mainly the Stamp Act) as well as the discussions concerning internal and external taxes in the connection with the release of the Townshend's acts whereas the fact that the colonies at the end don't meant to accept any acts of the British Parliament led inevitably to the proclamation of the independency. In every case it was just "writ of assistance case" which at the end led to the release of till our days valid fourth amendment of the American federal constitution in the year 1791.