George v. Tate is a United States Supreme Court case that was decided in 1881. The case involved a dispute between two parties over a contract for the sale of a steamboat. The plaintiff, George, had contracted with the defendant, Tate, to purchase a steamboat for $2,000. George paid the full amount, but Tate refused to deliver the boat. George then sued Tate for breach of contract. The Supreme Court held that Tate was liable for breach of contract. The Court found that Tate had failed to fulfill his contractual obligations and had not provided George with the steamboat as promised. The Court also held that George was entitled to damages for the breach of contract. The Court awarded George the full amount of the purchase price, plus interest. The Court's decision in George v. Tate established that a party who breaches a contract is liable for damages. This case is still cited today as an example of the legal principle that a party who fails to fulfill their contractual obligations is liable for damages.

Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in George v. Tate, arguing that the decision of the Supreme Court of Mississippi should be affirmed. He argued that it was not necessary for a court to consider whether or not an act is constitutional when deciding a case, as long as there is no conflict between state and federal laws. In this particular case, he noted that there was no such conflict because both parties agreed on what constituted legal tender under Mississippi law; thus, any dispute over constitutionality would have been irrelevant to resolving the matter at hand. Furthermore, Justice Field argued that even if there were some sort of constitutional issue involved in this case – which he did not believe to be true – then it would still be inappropriate for a federal court like the US Supreme Court to intervene since such matters are best left up to state courts and legislatures. Ultimately, Justice Field concluded by asserting his belief that states should retain their right “to determine all questions arising within their limits” without interference from higher authorities unless absolutely necessary.