Charles River Bridge
The Proprietors of the Charles River Bridge Company erected the Charles River Bridge in 1785. It was used to link Charleston to Boston. A toll charge was placed on the bridge for forty years under the corporation charter issued by the state of Massachusetts. The bridge opened on June 17, 1786. In 1792 the toll was extended to seventy years. At the end of the seventy years the bridge would belong to the commonwealth. The state issued another corporation a charter, in 1828, to build a bridge that would only have a toll until the proprietors broke even or made a slight profit, called the Warren River Bridge. The Warren River Bridge was adjacent to the pre-existing Charles River Bridge. The new charter outraged the Charles River Bridge Proprietors because they felt that it was taking away their business and infringing on their rights under the contract clause. The Charles River Bridge Proprietors sued the Warren River Bridge. They argued that the new Warren Bridge charter impaired the obligation
The contract clause played a major role in the court decision in this case. Article I, Section 10 of the Constitution states that, "No state shall... pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts..." Another issue that arises in this case was what rights the states should have. The contract clause and how it was used in this case were very significant. The Supreme Court also gave the executive branch of the state more power by allowing them to do what they thought would make the people of the state happier. Since the Warren River Bridge made the people of the state happier, then entering into a new charter was completely legal. The contract clause was not written to limit a state from entering into competitive bidding. It should be used efficiently so that government resources and technological improvements can work together to help serve the public's needs better. One of the goals of this nation's founding fathers was to "promote the general welfare
Some common words found in the essay are:
River Bridge, Warren Bridge, Supreme Court, Charleston Boston, Bridge Proprietors, Article Section, river bridge, charles river, Charles River, charles river bridge, contract clause, warren river, warren river bridge, Warren River, Charles Bridge, river bridge proprietors, bridge proprietors, warren bridge, supreme court, bridge charter, Bridge Company, bridge contract, supreme court decided, build bridge, river bridge contract,
Approximate Word count = 680
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
