The trial of North Carolina State v. John Mann, in 1829, was a ruling in which the Supreme Court of North Carolina decided that slave owners had complete ability and right over their slaves, and could not be convicted guilty of committing violent acts against them. In this trial, Elizabeth Jones owned a slave named Lydia who she rented out to work for John Mann. Mann shot and wounded Lydia when she attempted to escape a lashing. Mann was charged $10 for his crime but proceeded to appeal the decision, claiming that ruling was against his constitutional rights and that he had not broken the Law.
During our moot court, Group Trippy argued on behalf of John Mann, and Group Starbucks argued on behalf of the State of North Carolina. Group Starbucks declared that Man was not the absolute owner of Lydia because the exchange happened under a lease and was not an outright ownership exchange of property. Under this context, the group argued that the fine imposed on Mr. Mann was valid under law. They claimed that the case should be viewed from an empathetic and moral perspective. Group Starbucks made a valid point in stating that people are not property, due to the fact that property is not capable of making decisions for itself. DJ argued that Lydia was not, and should not be viewed as Mr. Mann’s property but instead should be viewed as a capable human being. The group also formulated a formidable argument in quoting the Bible’s words, which stated that owning slaves is punishable by death. On the other hand, Group Trippy argued that since Lydia was under contract to work for John Mann, he was granted full ownership of her during the lease. Therefore Mr. Mann had the right act however he felt appropriate towards his slave. They argued that the fine imposed on him was unjust due to the fact that he acted within his lawful rights. Group Trippy presented many impressive quotes and laws that supported their argument and therefore were declared the victors of the trial.
No comments:
Post a Comment