Mock Trial Reaction

     John Mann is a "slave owner" because he rented a slave named Lydia. She is tasked with doing work for him for a certain amount of time. During that time Lydia ran away from punishment, and then John Mann proceeded to shoot her in the back with a pistol. She did not die but he was charged with attempted murder and assault and battery and was fined for 5 dollars. Mann says the fine was unjust and that the 5 dollars should be refunded to him.

    The offenders claimed that even though slavery existed from the dawn of time, not all slavery is the same. They claim that we are all the same and that we are all human, slavery or not. They are not asking to be put to death, but to be punished for harming another human, not a slave, not a savage, but a human. They claim that instead of being branded with a hot iron, or getting your ears cut off all they ask is for 5 dollars. A woman should not be subjected to the same pains a man should. These slaves bleed red just like the slave masters, and the lord states to treat others how you would like to be treated. Slaves are expensive, so much so that Mr. Mann doesn't even own one, and yet all they ask for is 5 dollars. They believe the clause that all men be treated equal extends to slaves as well. Slaves should not be harmed by anyone but their master, and Mann simply rented that slave and did not own her.

    The defense claims that slavery is a reflection of economy and human life, so why should be punished for upholding this economy. Slavery isn't just a system but the cornerstone of the south, he shouldn't be punished for defending the cornerstone. Slaves are seen as property, and they are an investment. It is the owners duty to control and maintain their slaves, and the slaves duty to submit themselves completely to the master. The masters authority has to be absolute and his actions were in line with societal norms and his contemporary rule was absolute. As Christians the bible itself, deem Mann's actions as holy and justified. It is not incorrect for him to whip her and shoot her when she did not submit herself to her master. Even though she was rented, she still belonged to him for the time being. In Ephesians 6 slaves must obey their master with respect and fear just as they would obey Christ. Lydia did not follow the lord, so Mann was carrying out his religious duty of disciplining his slave.

    The judge restated facts and his opinions on the case. If agriculture is so important to the south, why are they comfortable with using other humans to do the work rather than making machines or use livestock to do the tilling for them. This doesn't take away the fact that slavery is the reason the south is thriving and it doesn't just benefit the slave owner but all of society. How can we as Christians condemn Mann when our religion has accepted religion so far back as Abraham and even the angels encouraged slavery. An argument against slavery is an argument of Christianity. For all intensive purposed slavery is civilization and punishing slaves is apart of the civilization system which is enforced by law. History does not care about your emotions, and law does not care about your emotions. It all comes down to contractual law, in the contractual renting he has assumed the position of a slave owner and all the rights that come with it. The verdict was in favor of Mr. Mann court adjourned.

Amistad

     The Amistad is a Spanish ship that held 53 African captives from Sierra Leone, and was tasked with transporting them to Cuba on a Caribbean plantation as slaves in 1839. This violated multiple treaties on the slave trade so of course what they were doing was illegal and would send shockwaves through the United States. But three days into the trip a 25 year old captive named Sangbe Pieh also known as Joseph Cinuqe broke free, and then freed the rest of the captives. Together they took over the ship after killing the captain. There were two men Pedro Montez and Jose Ruiz who were the plantation owners who purchased the 53 slaves and got them aboard the ship. The slaves held them and forced them to take them back home to Sierra Leone. The captives though had no clue that at night they were being steered North and eventually after 63 days of the back and forth, the ship ended up in Long Island New York. There it was discovered by Thomas Gedney, who was the captain of navy the ship Washington. The ship was seized and all its cargo and everyone on it were taken to the Connecticut court. 

    The two plantation owners were freed while the slaves were held in captivity for piracy, and murder. Although eventually the charges against the captives would be dropped they were still held in captivity. They were being treated harshly and some of them died, by the end of the trial only 35 of them  survived. The case then went to the Federal District Court of Connecticut, and the plantation owners, the government of Spain, and the Captain who found them were each asking for rights to the slaves, or compensation. The president Martin Van Buren was in favor of sending the captives to become slaves in Cuba but abolitionists in the North raised money to defend them and their freedom. The abolitionists used the money to hire lawyer Roger S Baldwin, and two attorneys Seth Stables and Theodore Sedgewick. Without the abolitionists raising awareness then this case would have ended quietly with the captives becoming slaves. The attorney's revealed to the court that they were free Africans from outside the Spanish slave trade who were kidnapped from Africa. 

    The district court ruled the slaves free and for them to be sent back to Africa, but the U.S District Attorney filed an appeal to the Supreme Court. He demanded that they be returned to Spain to be incorporated into the slave trade as per the treaty. In the supreme Court trial, the Africans were represented by the revered John Quincy Adams who was the first president to not own slaves. He spent 8 1/2 hours defending the Africans and their rights before the Supreme Court, and ultimately won their freedom. In a 7-1 decision, the Supreme Court decided that it was their ultimate right to be free since they were illegally kidnapped, and taken from their rightful home. 

Post Reactions

     Sojourner Truth real name was Isabella Bumfree. She had been sold with a flock of sheep for 100$, which was a little odd because female slaves were very high in demand because they could make more slaves. Sojourner Truth had 13 children who were almost all lost to slavery. 

    Lucretia Mott was a white female abolitionist who fought for woman's rights and slave freedom. She help established the first women's rights convention. She gathered black and whites famous and non famous people such as Fredrick Douglas to help speak out.

    John Quincy Adams was the 6th president of the United States. He was one of the only 2 presidents who didn't own slaves. He made a gag rule to stop the anti-slavery talk. He made a clause that made every slave born after July 4 to be born free. 

    Elizabeth Buffam Chase was an abolitionist who lost her 5 children. Her community shunned her and her husband for their beliefs of abolition and total freedom. She also fought against racism by founding an anti-slavery organization. She set up the first underground railroad station in Rhode Island. 

    Abby Hailey Foster spent 20 years traveling the country for anti-slavery and women's rights. She was an organizer of the New England Women's Suffrage Association. She was a delegate to the first anti slavery convention for American women. She began to lecture people on anti-slavery using her knowledge of a teacher.

    John Brown was a studied ministry in Connecticut, before he had to quit because of an illness. Many of his children found careers in abolition. He supported anti slavery activists, and believed in immediate abolition. He traveled to Kansas and fought for the freedom of slaves to the legislature. He went to 5 slave owners and then executed them, because of how enraged he was of his hometown being persecuted. He then planned the raid on Harpers Ferry so he could overthrow slavery. His violence and brutal methods struck fear in the hearts of the slave masters, and inspired the slaves to rebel.

    

Leonard Grimes: A Virtuous Man

     I am Leonard Grimes, a black man born in 1815. Unlike others around this time period I was born to free parents. I was a mixed child, and people tended to regard me as a boy with a bright future. Being born in Leesburg, Virginia my freedom wasn't always secure, and it was subject to change at any moment. When I was a young teen we moved to Washington D.C where I worked as a butcher and an apothecary. I had to build up enough money to help support my family and to officially register myself as a free black man around the age of 20, even though I was born free.  

    I started to travel all around for work. I eventually ended up working for a slave holder in the deep south. Here I saw the atrocities and horrors of slavery. It was because I was free that allowed me to sympathize with the slaves. So I decided that I was going to use my freedom, to help others, I vowed to combat slavery. I became a conductor of the underground rail road unbeknownst to my family. I had a wife Octavia and four kids: Emma, John, Leonard Jr, and Julia, but at the time I only had two kids. As a conductor I had to have a solid coverup for this job. So I established myself as a prominent hackney driver. I transported politicians, professionals, and many other people around Washington D.C. In 1839, I got caught and sentenced to two years in prison. It was a surprise to many people because I was rather popular among blacks and whites at the time. Lucky for me I purchased my own property well before my arrest, so my family had a stable place to stay and didn't have to worry about the unjust persecution of the slaveholders.

   

    In 1846 after I was released I moved my family to New Bedford Massachusetts in search of a new job, and stable living. Around this time whaling was very popular, but after being in jail my connection to the spiritual only grew deeper. I went on a trip to Boston in 1848 which was an abolitionist hotbed, this is where a congregation was in need of a minister. So I decided to step up to the plate with my faith, and drive to combat slavery to become a trial minister. I was so good that I ended up becoming a Baptist minister and a pastor of the new Twelve Baptist Church. The church became known as the "Fugitive's Church", because many of our members escaped from slavery. Then in 1850 the infamous Fugitive Slave Act was passed. The entire church was no longer safe, and it was a risk that the church was so well known.

    Everything was good enough until 1854 when one of the men who was in the church's district was captured. His name was Anthony Burns, and I figured that if we can save this one man, then we can make a statement for the entire race. We tried directly to free him from the Boston jail, but that didn't go as planned. His trial was famous, and really brought attention to the slave act. Burns lost his case, but I wasn't planning on stopping there, I led a fundraiser which raised 1,300 dollars and then traveled to Baltimore Maryland myself to purchase his freedom from a slave holder. After that, nobody persecuted fugitive slaves in Boston.

   

    When the civil war broke out I was invited to serve as the the norths chaplain. In other words, President Lincoln invited me to be on the clergy for the armed forces. This was a little above me, and I had developed an attachment to my church so I declined the offer. After the war and the 13th amendment I had worked to help the free men and women. I lived to see the 14th amendment granting life, liberty and property, and the 15th amendment right to vote for black men. I think I did a fair share of good in my life, that being said on March 14 1873, at the age of 60 I had been laid to rest.

The Role of the Supreme Court

     The Supreme Court is a very important part of the judicial system. According to the video, with 9 justices they deliberate on very few cases, as little as less than 100 per year. All of these cases are picked by the justices, just because it gets sent doesn't mean they have to try it. Justices stay for a very long time and their decisions interpret the laws and how we apply them to our current lives. Of course they weren't always this powerful, after the creation of the supreme court it took 200 years for America to accept the word of the court. The saying "We the people" now encompasses everyone, but it used to only encompass eligible citizens which were typically white and most of the time male. Whenever a new judge gets appointed, they must all get together and take a new supreme justice portrait.

   

    The way cases get decided is a vote for if its constitutional, or if it not constitutional between judges and the more popular vote wins. You would think that people with opposing views would start to dislike each other but no, the justices actually do not hold grudges against each other. They have a job to do, and letting personal vendettas get in the way can seriously damage our country and interpretation of the constitution. A typical court decision is not a simple answer, it can range from 80 pages and up. All the pages are filled with evidence, reasonings, and arguments on why they made that decision. Justices converse in the courtroom with questions, points, and answers, all so they can get a better understand of the details and context of a case.

    A court case has to work its way up to the supreme court. Making it's way through the district, and appellate courts. With the 14th amendment every case needs the due process of the law and should be protected equally. This means that every case needs a decision, or a result the supreme court is the only court that has the power to reject cases. The supreme courts job is interpret and extend and shrink the boundaries of the rights we have as people, so understanding how they operate is very important. 

Slavery In the Bible: Was it Justified?

  INTRODUCTION

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      As we know, slavery has been around for centuries and has only recently abolished in the year 1865. But the question that seems to be on my mind is was it justified? When we ask that question, there becomes two sides to a story. 
        

    But what we seem to forget is that slavery didn't just "happen." There is a reason why slavery has been around for so long; the Bible. Today, we will speak to both sides of the story; the side that argues in favor of the Bible justifying slavery, and the other side who does the complete opposite, and argues against the Bible justifying slavery.

ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF SLAVERY  

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        Before slavery was abolished many masters, if not all, used the Bible to justify their cruel and violent wrong doings. Slave masters would learn the Bible and would then proceed with a baptism. The problem with this is the change within the masters' mindset. A baptism gives most people a fresh start, or as I say, a wash from their previous sins. Because of this, masters believed that their wrong doings towards enslaved people were gone and forgiven.

        But why is it that slave masters start to believe that they have a right to treat enslaved people in the cruel way because of the Bible? Well, there are many times that the Bible does encourage slavery. For example,  1 Timothy 6:1-2 explains how enslaved people should look up to their masters and should show respect towards those who believe in the faith. This citation gives a view into the concept of how slave masters should be the ones who hold the power in the relationship. Titus 2:9-10 also goes more in depth about the concept of a master holding all power by stating that masters should "Urge slaves to be submissive to their masters in everything... showing complete and perfect fidelity." 

        

        There are many more examples in the Bible that encourage the thought and actions of slavery. I find it interesting that the Bible also informs enslaved people that they should proud of their situations. Genesis 24:35 essentially gives off the idea that a slave is a form of wealth and is a blessing. There are many other citations in the testaments that substantially advises people of this idea that slavery is a blessing from God.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST SLAVERY