Adams v. Nashville is a United States Supreme Court case that was decided in 1878. The case involved a dispute between the City of Nashville and the Adams Express Company. The City of Nashville had passed an ordinance that required all express companies to pay a fee for the privilege of doing business in the city. The Adams Express Company refused to pay the fee, arguing that it was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court agreed with the Adams Express Company, ruling that the ordinance was unconstitutional. The Court held that the ordinance was an unconstitutional exercise of the City of Nashville's police power. The Court reasoned that the ordinance was an unreasonable and arbitrary interference with the right of the Adams Express Company to do business in the city. The Court also held that the ordinance was an unconstitutional burden on interstate commerce. The decision in Adams v. Nashville established the principle that a state or local government cannot impose an unreasonable or arbitrary burden on interstate commerce. This principle has been applied in numerous cases since then, and it remains an important part of the law today.

In Adams v. Nashville, the United States Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a city ordinance that required African Americans to pay an annual tax for the privilege of living within its limits violated the Thirteenth Amendment. The majority opinion held that it did not violate this amendment because it was merely a regulation and not slavery or involuntary servitude in any form. Justice Field dissented from this decision, arguing that although there may be some regulations which are permissible under the Thirteenth Amendment, such as those related to public health and safety, they must still be reasonable and non-discriminatory in order to pass constitutional muster. In his view, this particular ordinance failed on both counts since it imposed an unequal burden on African Americans without providing them with any benefit whatsoever; thus making it unconstitutional under the Thirteenth Amendment's prohibition against slavery or involuntary servitude in any form.