On December 3, 1931, the UK Parliament passed the Statute of Westminster, under which the British dominions of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Irish Free State and Newfoundland gained complete legislative independence. The statute received royal assent and came into force on December 11.

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On December 2, 1859, militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged for murder and treason in the wake of an unsuccessful attack on the US armory at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. Read John Brown’s last speech to the court at his trial.

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On November 30, 1804, US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase went on trial in the Senate for “arbitrary and oppressive conduct of trials.” He was acquitted in March 1805. Read a C-SPAN interview with Chief Justice William Rehnquist on his 1992 book Grand Inquests: The Historic Impeachments of Justice Samuel Chase and President Andrew Johnson. [...]

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