"Bushell's Case," also known as "The Quakers' Great Case," which involved William Penn and William Mead in 1670. William Penn, a prominent Quaker, and William Mead were arrested for preaching in the street near Gracechurch Street in London. The case is significant for its role in the development of the jury's independence.
During the trial, the jury, led by Edward Bushell, found Penn and Mead not guilty despite the judge's instructions to convict them. The judge, however, was dissatisfied with the jury's decision and imprisoned them for their refusal to change their verdict. This led to a series of legal battles that ultimately reinforced the idea that juries should be free from coercion and have the authority to reach their own decisions.
This case contributed to the principle of jury nullification, emphasizing the jury's right to deliver a verdict based on their conscience and not merely on the judge's instructions. It became an important precedent in the protection of the independence of juries in legal proceedings.
1670 "the great case" https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A54146.0001.001?view=toc
48:30 Alan Crippen on William Penn and the experiment of American Liberty
Manly P. Hall - William Penn, the Quaker, and His Holy Experiment 35:00 "education is the determination to do right in the presence of the temtation to do wrong no on who does wrong is educated." 40:40 "What do we gain from the incessent ambitions we permit, what do we gain in the life that we live if we corrupt everything that is valuable for a little profit just to die and leave it behind. What is the reason for living are we here simply to die more wealthy than the neighbor." "What is the purpose for living?" "Penn was convinced that we all had a purpose to make this world a garden of eden again as it was before the fall."