Mock Trial 1

Some of the other students in class argued the Supreme Court case of State v John Mann, as each side. The case was that of a North Carolina slave owner and his slave. Lydia was John Mann’s slave. Mann shot Lydia in the back, and was being charged with contributory negligence and assault and battery. The court ruled that ‘chattel slaves had no rights from their masters. Thomas Ruffin authored the opinion of the court, in which he asserted the “full dominion of the owner over the slave.”’ My classmates made arguments of ethics, despite her being a slave, she was human, so physically assaulting her should have punishments. Others used arguments of History referencing John Locke’s belief that slaves are property due to the investment of time and money put in by the owner. Although Mann was just renting Lydia, he did have the same rights as an owner. Lydia also was running away, which was against the law.

From this class experiment, we were able to learn about this specific case deeply, as well as explore polarizing views of civil rights laws during the time. This case occurred in 1829, even before the civil war. Being able to see my classmates present a case was not only informative, but also interesting. I feel that they really covered the seven modes of argumentation. This activity was a great way to put to practice many of the things we have been learning in class, as well as display our knowledgeability on newly learned topics and ability to present them.

Website design and web development by Mango Web Design mangowebdesign.com. “State v. Mann.” North Carolina History Project, 16 Mar. 2016, northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/state-v-mann/. 

Reconstruction

According to Britannica,  “Reconstruction, in U.S. history, is the period (1865–77) that followed the American Civil War and during which attempts were made to redress the inequities of slavery and its political, social, and economic legacy and to solve the problems arising from the readmission to the Union of the 11 states that had seceded at or before the outbreak of war.”

In class we watched America After the Civil War. The documentary gave a lot of background and insight on life during the Reconstruction period. The Reconstruction consisted not only of social advancement for African Americans, but also legal reformation to ensure and further these moves. The Constitution added the 13th Amendment, legally forbidding slavery, as well as the 14th Amendment granting Due Process, Equal Protection, and Privileges or Immunities. 

The 14th Amendment’s guarantees help support equality for African Americans through providing protection in court. Ensuring equalities through legality is the best way, I think, to support positive motion in government reformation.

In class we did a timeline that I would consider more of an overview of this time period, so to go and watch a video where PBS historians go into depth on this was really helpful to me. I believe the coverage of this time period is immensely important to our generation, as we are going through many large social reforms ourselves, and should know how and what this requires. The pictures included in the documentary also definitely give help to the emotional aspect of the topic. Being able to hear and see persoannly is a great form of education and in many cases, persuasion.

 Foner, Eric. "Reconstruction". Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Jul. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/event/Reconstruction-United-States-history. Accessed 26 October 2021.

“Reconstruction.” IDCA, 18 Sept. 2020, iowaculture.gov/history/education/educator-resources/primary-source-sets/reconstruction. 

 

Bible on Slavery

 https://ldhi.library.cofc.edu/exhibits/show/africanpassageslowcountryadapt/introductionatlanticworld/europnea_christianity_and_slav

Many different religions battled the mortality of slavery in the past. Christians particularly debated this topic. Many were pro-slavery, and many were against. The Bible was a tool used by pro-slavery individuals to justify slavery in the 1800’s and 1900’s. 

European Christians believed non-Christians were "natural slaves" early in history. Through expansion to the New World, this transitioned to focus slavery on Africans.The biblical curse of Ham can be connected with this change. Noah cursed the decencendants of Ham and Canaan into slavery for transgressions. Apparently Africans are the descendants of Ham and Canaan. The Bible does not mention race or skin color in the account of this story, but according to some sixteenth and seventeenth century theologians, Africans inherited Ham and Canaan's curse of slavery. Many religious people used this to defend the credibility of slavery.

Christians also used exact bible quotes to defend slavery. In Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, he uses the word “servant” several times. If the bible uses the word in a positive light why would it not be? This is an argument many religious pro-slavery people used. It can also be defended by highlighting that Jesus never condemned slavery in the Bible. If Jesus never condemned it, people could argue, then how can we.

https://www.openbible.info/topics/anti-slavery

https://www.openbible.info/topics/pro-slavery