When was murder first made a federal crime?
<p>My understanding is that most crimes that don't involve the US as a party, maritime law, special cases, etc, are handled by state courts, where the rules differ from state to state. But in certain circumstances these ordinary crimes can become federal cases. Yet the Constitution says nothing about crimes committed by citizens. So when were these rules established?</p>

<p>I'm looking at murder as a particular case of interest. If murder isn't forbidden by the Constitution, when were federal laws first established on how to handle it?</p>

<p>On April 30, 1790 (during the 1st Congress) a statute was passed (<em><a href="http://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/1st-congress/c1.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">An Act for the Punishment of certain Crimes against the United States</a></em>, pp. 112-113 of the entire acts), the third section of which reads</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>...And be it [further]enacted, That if any person or persons shall,
  within any fort, arsenal, dock-yard, magazine, or in any other place
  or district of country, under the sole and exclusive jurisdiction of
  the United States, commit the crime of wilful murder, such person or
  persons on being thereof convicted shall suffer death</p>
</blockquote>

<p>(and then there are numerous other sections criminalizing murder in federal jurisdiction).</p>

united-states legal-history murder