Teacher Instructions

The Amistad Case: A Mock Trial

http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/hoover/amistad
by

Tom Fehrenbacher

Introduction | Task | Resources | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion


Introduction

In 1839, a Cuban schooner was found off the coast of Long Island, New York. It was a slave trading ship with 53 Africans on board. There had been a mutiny, two officers had been killed. The Africans were seeking to turn the boat back to their home in Africa. They were not successful and were instead taken into American custody. A trial was held to decide whether the Africans would be free to return home or whether they would be treated as property and face a life of slavery.



The Task

Prepare for trial! You must decide whether the Africans will be set free or forced into slavery. You will use the argument of the time to make the best case possible. There are no right answers. If you argue more effectively then your opponent, you win regardless!

Each of you will be assigned to one of the groups involved in the Amistad case. Some of you will play the role of greedy slaveholders, out to obtain more human beings for forced labor. Others will play the role of noble abolitionists, there to free the African captives so they can return to their homeland. Other class members will play the role of court officials including a judge to keep order and a jury to decide the African's fate. Finally, others in the class will play the role of the Africans, captured and alone, your only defense is your determination and desire to be free.

Each of you will be assigned to one of the following groups:

  • Courtroom Officials: Judge, Jury Members, Court Reporter, Bailiff
  • Reporters
  • Lawyers: The Prosecution (Slave Owners) The Defense (Abolitionists)
  • Africans

In order to participate in this mock trial, you must be prepared. The judge and jury member must know about trial procedures, weighing evidence, and how to arrive at fair decisions. Trial lawyers on either side must know the facts of the case and the arguments which will win over the jury's mind. The African group members will need to learn about Africa, the history of her people and the desire expressed by this unfortunate group to return home. The reporters and witness must know how to present evidence to the court and how to tell a story. Their reports will be due daily, once the trial has started.

You will find special instructions to help you conduct your research into the activities of these groups. You will use the Web, classroom resources and your own imaginations to prepare your role for trial. During the discovery phase, you will gather evidence, define your roles, and learn the procedures of the courtroom.

Next, research at the computer will stop. It will now be used as a source for classroom exhibits only. Should the court need to display evidence, the LCD / projector will be used. Private investigations will no longer be allowed. You will enter now into trial preliminaries. During this phase, court officials will make the classroom ready, trial lawyers will solicit their witnesses, court reporters will begin interviews with the Africans.

The Trial. Everyone will be called to order. A jury will be selected. Witnesses will be sworn in. Each side will present their case. The prosecution will go first. The defense will follow with their arguments. In the end the jury will decide who has made the best case. During the trial, many of you will be called as witnesses. Others will keep order in the courtroom. The reporters will take notes for daily trial reports. Jury members must keep notes for their deliberations.

After the trial, an evaluation of the entire proceedings will be conducted. You will be asked several questions including:

  1. How well prepared were you?
  2. What did you learn from the trial experience?
  3. Who did you think did the best job presenting their case?
  4. What could be done better the next time?
  5. What were slavery's major issues at this time?
  6. Why did so many people refuse to give up the practice of slavery?
  7. What can we learn from this case regarding human nature and freedom?



Resources

You will discover information from the Internet and from classroom materials made available to you. Many Internet resources are included throughout this Web Quest. The following Internet sources recommended:

 



The Process

Now that we have reviewed slavery in America, it is time to look at a particular case. To complete this unit, you will investigate The Amistad Case. You will do so to prepare evidence for a mock trial. The process will take three steps: Fact Finding, Group Fact Finding, Evidence Selection, and Trial Preparation.

Each group will use the Internet to gather information. Select a Recorder to record each site that you visit. If you select information from a site to use in the case, please note the URL of the site for future reference. (Remember this is a court case, and all evidence may be called into question.) Everyone in the group should take notes about the information you find.

1. Fact Finding: Reviewing the basic facts of the Amistad Case. Please visit each of these sites. Answer the questions listed below for each group of sites. When you visit the Introductory sites you will only be looking for general information about the case. However, when you visit the Digging Deeper Sites, you will begin to gather information specific for the case you want to make.

Introductory Sites:

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • What are the facts of the Case?
  • Why did these things happen?
  • Who was involved?
  • Why did different people take the steps they did?

Story of the Amistad

An Amistad Summary

General Background

 

 

 

 

 

Digging Deeper Sites: Its time to take a "researcher" position. Depending upon the group to which you have been assigned, you will need specific information. Ask yourself these questions:

  • What information are you seeking, and how will you use it? (Abolitionist?)
  • What information will you need to win the case. (Lawyers).
  • What are the rules that your courtroom will need to follow? (Judge and jury)
  • How were trials reported on in the past? (Reporters and witnesses)
  • How did the accused feel? What were their motivations? (Africans)

The Amistad Library

The Judicial System

Amistad and the Methodist Church

2. Group Fact Finding: Will you be ready to argue your case? Will you have enough research necessary to participate in this courtroom? Will you be able to prove your point with the right piece of text, either projected to the class from the Web or in hard copy? What other sources might you use? Select your group from the list below. Go to your group's Instructions and complete the specific directions located there.

Judge and Jury Instructions

Lawyers Instructions

Reporter and Witnesses Instructions

Africans Instructions

3. Evidence Selection: As the trial approaches, you must be sure of your evidence. Because information is found on the Internet, this does not mean it is correct or factual. Like all information we gather, each of you must be ask critical questions regarding all your sources of information.

If you find an excellent site on the Web which passes all the critical question, make a bookmark of it. We will include it in the next version of this Mock Trial.

4. Trial Preparation: Gather together evidence, consider procedures, and prepare for the actions you wish to use in court.

Trial Lawyers: remember you cannot present the evidence yourself! You may ask members of the witness pool to speak on behalf of the evidence you have found. Submit a list of participants and the roles they are playing to the Judge or her clerk. Once you have your case outline, you may prepare your final argument before the court. Remember, at that time, you can only reflect upon evidence that has already been introduce. New evidence will only be considered your opinion and most likely objected and sustained by the judge.

Witnesses: you cannot sit quietly back with the evidence you may have discovered. You must approach one side or the other with your discovery. This is your chance to take an active role in the proceedings. Do you have a character from history you want to play? Present your evidence to a lawyer and be assigned to the witness list.

Reporters: are your cameras ready? Have you decided who will cover what part of the story? Do you know who the players are? Have lined up any interviews yet? Will you be ready with a recap of the trial proceedings on the next day of the trial?

Africans: are your costumes ready? Have you considered how you will communicate to each other without using English? Remember, if you are found speaking English, you may immediately be called to testify on the stand as runaway slaves and not the Africans you claim to be. How will you express to the courtroom through dignity and poise your strong desire to return home?

Judge and Jury: how will the Court be run? Do you have all the materials you will need to keep order in the court. Do you have a gavel? An Oath to swear in witnesses? Poster paper for displays? Have you considered how to the classroom should be arranged to become a courtroom? To know what is expected of you You may wish to consult trial proceedings early.

5. The Trial: Come to school tomorrow dressed for you role. Bring important papers and practice your speeches. Have you lined up a You are now ready for trial. Take a peak at the trial proceedings to make sure you are ready.

6. Reflections: The trial is over. You will be asked to reflect upon the following two prompts.

How well did you act as a trial participant? Were you adequately prepared? Did you participate each day of the trial? Did you remain in your role. Did you dress and act the part?

What are the issues behind this case? What were the motivations of the slaveholders? What were the motivations of the Abolitionists? What fundamental human right was at trial here? Why did the court decide the way it did?

 



Evaluation

You will receive your grade based upon the following scoring guide. Please note that your grade will be the result of your performance in several areas. Your grade will not only depend upon your own evaluation in each area. At the guide shows below, both your group and your teacher will contribute to your Grand Total.

Category

Pts

Self Score

Group Score

Teacher Score

Intro / Slavery Facts

15

.

.

.

Internet Preparation

15

.

.

.

Trial Preparation

25

.

.

.

Trial Participation

15

.

.

.

Trial Reflections

30

.

.

.

100

Grand Total

.



Conclusion

Together we study the Amistad Case in great depth. We will explore many of the issues that surrounded slavery in America in the 19th Century. Upon completion of this Unit, several objectives will be met:

  1. You will learn about slaveholder motivations and how resistant to change these people were.
  2. You will learn about the motivations of the Abolitionist in their attempts to abolish slavery wherever it appeared.
  3. You will learn more about the American Judicial System and how trials work.
  4. During the course of this Unit, you will learn about information gathering, making presentations, writing memos and reflections.
  5. Finally, by looking more closely at the actions and motivation of the Africans, we all can appreciate the strong desire every human has to be free.


Last updated March 2, 2000

Based on a template from The Web quest Page.

Adapted for offline use. For the original WebQuest go to:

http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/hoover/amistad/index.html