State v. Mann Mock Trial

This past week we had the pleasure of experiencing a mock trial of the State v. Mann case put on by our fellow classmates. On the first day of class this semester we were put into litigation teams in which we were in charge of taking a side in different historical court cases throughout the semester. However my team was not in charge of arguing a side in this particular case, we still were actively involved with the case. As it went on we were actively taking notes on what our classmates had to say and the arguments they were giving for their side.

The case that was being reenacted, State v. Mann, was whether slave owners were able to commit violence against their slaves or if that would be deemed illegal. Elizabeth Jones owned a slave named Lydia and had hired her out to John Mann for a specific amount of time. While in John Mann's hands Lydia had disobeyed him and in return he was going to beat her. Fearing for her life Lydia ran away, only to be quickly shot in the back by Mann. Though Lydia was only injured and did not die Mann was still fined $10 for his actions. Instinctively Mann took this to court saying that she was his property and he could do what he pleased with her even shoot her if he so chose. After a lengthly battle between the two sides a decision was made that slave owners had absolute authority over there slaves and would not be found guilty of violence committed against their slaves.

In class, the defendant argued that whether she was considered property or not it was still assault just as if you shot your dog it would not be okay. As well they used the Bible to support her case talking about how every person should be considered equal regardless of who they are. They also argue that Mann did not have the authority to harm someone else’s slave. These were all solid arguments and enough to win over the judge and jury for the moment. Once the defendant was through it was up to the defendant to make their case.

The Prosecution used similar tactics to as the defendant to prove their point as they used Exodus 21: 20-21 to seal the deal and get the win for their litigation team. Exodus 21: 20-21 states, "anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property." With the time period and location in which this case took place. A biblical verse that directly ties into the case and tells people what to do was enough to win the case.