Mann Wins Again

This past Wednesday, a number of students in our FYS class conducted a mock trial of the State v. Mann case, which originally took place in North Carolina in the 1820's. The case involved a slave named Lydia and her temporary owner, John Mann. Mann claimed that Lydia escaped during a punishment, and as a result he shot and wounded her. A local grand jury found Mann guilty of assault and battery against a slave. As a result, he appealed to the Supreme Court of North Carolina. In December of 1829, the judgement was reversed and entered for the Defendant.

In our mock trial, both sides did their research and brought good arguments to the table. The defense argued that Lydia was given to John Mann by Mrs. Jones, and was therefore in his care. They also mentioned the economic impact that slavery had and the fact that slaves weren't considered "human" by law. I would agree more with the State's side because of their approach, that the actions of Mann were inhumane and unjust, because that is what I would expect to hear in a modern court. In the 1800's, however, slaves were viewed as property and did not receive that kind of equal treatment. That is a reflection of the court's decision to clear Mann of all charges, both in the original case and our class' mock trial.


You can read more about the case and Judge Ruffin's decision in the link below http://plaza.ufl.edu/edale/Mann.htm