This Blogpost contains the transcript of a speech I gave impersonating a defendant of the state in the State Vs Mann case. This 1830 case occurred because a North Carolinian by the name of Mann shot a slave that he rented for the year named Lydia. The state of North Carolina then proceeded to fine Mann $10 for his cruel treatment of Lydia. Although this fine may sound small, it actually carries considerable weight. Due to inflation, $10 in 1830 is worth $282.52 today. Mann appealed his fine claiming that his rights as a slaveowner were violated since a slave had no rights of their own. In the end, Mann won his appeal and his $10 were recovered. Although as a narrator, my fate was set in stone from the start, I still believe that I made a successful argument on behalf of North Carolina. I argued from a historical perspective, as instructed, which is why I excluded several other key arguments in this case.
My testimony went as follows: "The fine levied against Mann rests upon a mountain of historical precedent from abroad and from within the United States. Societies dating back to 481 AD such as the Byzantine Empire under Justinian and the Franks of Europe both deprived cruel owners of slaves. This practice continued through 1256 AD in a set of Spanish laws called the Partidas. If these ancient people lost their slaves because of their cruel actions then you, Mr. Mann, can certainly pay a $10 fine.
"In fact, even the Code of Hammurabi dating back to 1700 BC commanded that if you damage someone else's slave you must pay the owner half of the slave's value. We, as a developed people, know that this code is famous for its "eye for an eye" severity. Yet, even the cruel people of Mesopotamia punished each other for hurting another's slave.
"If you would like to focus on domestic history rather than international history, we can look to Louisiana. This great state with a little French spice made cruel punishment illegal back in 1806. Louisiana went a step further just a few years ago in 1825 and made the sale of slaves required if a master was cruel. We should follow in the footsteps of Louisiana, after all, our state has so few slaves."
If you are interested in seeing where I got some of my information or if you want to learn more, see the links below
https://www.crossroads-university.com/the-louisiana-black-code.html
https://www.britannica.com/topic/slavery-sociology/Master-slave-legal-relationships
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