Fletcher v Peck Significance

Fletcher v Peck is a court case that was reviewed by the Supreme Court in 1810. This case was brought up because in 1795, the Georgia legislature sold an area of land, the Yazoo Claims, for almost nothing to northeastern speculators in exchange for a bribe. In 1797, a new group of legislators was placed in office. They undid this corrupt deal, which infuriated the speculators. In 1802, the national government took hold of the land, and Jefferson decided that the speculators would receive a cash settlement. This should have been the end of it, but John Randolph, who was the chairman of the committee that was in charge of paying this settlement, refused to pay the speculators. This caused much dissent and eventually the case went before the Supreme Court, who decided that the settlement would be paid. This decision caused Randolph to grow a sense of disdain for Jefferson. Due to this disdain, he created the Tertium Quids, who were an ultra-conservative pro-states’ rights section of the Democratic-Republicans.