State Vs. Mann - Mock Trial Reaction:

 Today was the trial of John Mann vs. the state. John Mann was accused of assaulting and attempting to murder a slave. This slave's name was Lydia and she was only working for Mann temporarily under the jurisdiction of her owner, Elizabeth Jones. John Mann had allegedly beat Lydia and in attempt to escape Mann, Lydia tried to run away. This decision led to John Mann shooting Lydia in the. back, heavily wounding her. 

Both Mann and the state presented their perspectives with reasonable and firm arguments.

The state pushed that the actions of John Mann violated the ten commandments by bringing harm to others and by attempting to kill another human being. Slavery is the foundation of the country's economic structure. Without slaves, our economy would collapse, so why can't they be treated with respect? They should not be abused and trafficked like animals. Instead, they should be treated with better living conditions. There has to be a reason that Lydia and slaves alike run away, so maybe if they were not mistreated then they would be more willing to cooperate. In addition, Lydia was not owned by John Mann. He was simply having her work for him under the authority of her owner, Elizabeth Jones. Since Mann did not own her, he had no right to punish her. Mann should have been charged with assault and battery.

John Mann argued that his actions were justified and were within the legal bounds of their situation. Thus he felt that his $10 fine should be appealed. From Mann's perspective, Lydia running away was her "traveling without permission." If he had not taken action, there is no telling what Lydia would have done once she got away and may have caused harm to other people. If she had done this, it would be John Mann's fault as he was in charge of monitoring her for the time being. This made him feel twice as obligated to make sure that she did not cause havoc in the community. It was argued that punishment was a key component in maintaining control of the system, and without it, the entire system would fall.