Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr By 1837 the states of Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama passed laws making it a felony to kill a person with a Bowie knife. Self defense was recognized and acceptable. But even if you justifiably saved your life using a Bowie, you were going to spend considerable time behind bars or outside breaking rocks with a sledge. No such jeopardy resulted from using one of the … [Read more...]