"North Carolina had fewer slaves than most other states in the future Confederacy. But in the two decades leading up to the Civil War, that state's Supreme Court produced one of the most notorious pro-slavery opinions in American history.
"In 1829, Elizabeth Jones, who owned a slave named Lydia, hired her out for a year to John Mann of Chowan County. Lydia was unhappy with the arrangement, and at one point Mann decided to punish her, possibly by whipping her. But Lydia escaped during the punishment, and began to run away. Mann shouted to her, ordering her to stop, but Lydia continued to run. Mann then shot and wounded her. Such, at least, was Mann's story.
"The circumstances were so odd, however, that a local grand jury took the unusual step of indicting Mann for assault and battery against a slave. During the trial, the judge told the jury that if it believed that the punishment Mann inflicted was "cruel and unwarrantable, and disproportionate to the offense committed by the slave that, in the law the Defendant was guilty," particularly since he was not even her owner. This is obviously exactly what the jury thought, for it found Mann guilty. Mann then appealed to the Supreme Court of North Carolina."
Can you guess what happened next?
READ the complete entry by jrank.org: State v. Mann: 1829 — In Defense of Slavery
READ the Wikipedia overview of the case and explore the sources provided under "External Links": State v. Mann Overview
GO TO this Web page created by George Mason University history department and skim the primary source material at the links to experience both pro-slavery arguments and anti-slavery arguments: Exploring U.S. History
Moot Court
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| Team Erica and Team Nido prepare for legal battle. Photo: Ms. Gallagher |
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