EOTO

In class we had a mock trial about a case involving a slave named Lydia and her slave owner, John Mann. The case was about whether John Mann should be fined $10 for shooting Lydia, or if Lydia deserved to be shot for running away. John Mann abused his slave Lydia and she ultimately ended up running away. As she was running, Mann shot Lydia in the arm, however she did not die. The students in the class did a trial for and against the $10 fine.

For the $10 fine:

- Josea Small is the actual owner of the slave Lydia, not John Mann. John Mann rented her from Josea and that makes him responsible for shooting her because she wasn't even hers.

- the Bible allows the buying and selling of slaves, but the line is drawn when you mistreat them. That means that Mann has to pay the price for shooting her.

- By owning a slave you are legally allowed to whip, torture, and brand them, however not kill and Mann had the intention to kill her so he should be punished

Against the fine:

- Lydia was wrong to run and a runaway slave should be punished

- Slaves are considered property and Mann had the right to shoot

- Slavery has been around for many years and it is okay to punish a runaway slave

- John Mann was a Christian and the Bible allows slavery and he was doing what he believed in

- Mann had every right to shoot her because she ran away and she had no constitutional right to fight against him

There are many sides against who should be punished in this situation and I really enjoyed listening to each side and taking notes.