State v. Mann EOTO
During our class' mock trial, we had the opportunity to hear from some of our peers about crucial events that occurred before, around, or after the case of State v. Mann that played an important role in the causes of why the case even came about. Discussion topics came from the points of view of both pro-slavery advocates and the anti-slavery advocates.
Pro-slavery events included the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, and the Supreme Court case of Dred Scott v. Sanford in 1857. In the Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854, the Missouri Compromise was repealed and the two created territories were left to popular sovereignty in order to determine whether or not slavery would be allowed to proceed in said territories. The two territories were divided by the transcontinental railroad because it needed to go through Nebraska in order to get to the other side of the continent. In Kansas, slavery was allowed and in Nebraska, it was not. A key event that led up to the Civil War was due to this split, it was called "Bleeding Kansas". The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 stated that runaway slaves must be returned to their owners in slave states. This was enforced by fines, increased policing, and increased jail time for those who do not abide. Also, if a slave ran away, their owner was supported by congress. In the Supreme Court case of Dred Scott v. Sanford in 1857, SCOTUS ruled that Americans of African descent, whether free or a slave, were not American citizens and could not sue in the Federal courts. This decision outraged abolitionists because it seemed as if SCOTUS was just trying to stop the debate on slavery. This attempt did not work as the Civil War began a few years later.
Anti-slavery arguments included "Uncle Tom's Cabin" written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, John Brown's raid of 1859, The Underground Railroad, and "Bleeding Kansas" (1855-1861). "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe, makes slavery a more personal issue amongst it's readers. This provided excellent insight for northerners who lacked first-hand experiences with slavery but it infuriated southerners and the south actually illegalized the ownership of the book. Stowe replicated real, gruesome, and honest, stories with fictional characters and gave the slaves of the south a face. John Brown's raid in 1859 was an attempted slave revolt in the southern states by taking control of various US arsenals at Harper's Ferry, Virginia. Brown was charged in Virginia v. John Brown with treason against the Commonwealth of Virginia, murder, and inciting a slave insurrection. He was prosecuted and was sentenced to death. The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses for slaves to use to escape slavery during the 19th century. Around 100,000 slaves escaped and there were about 5000 court cases because anyone helping slaves would get in a lot of legal trouble. Bleeding Kansas, also known as the Border War, was a major six year long conflict that occurred over the legality of slavery in Kansas. This conflict eventually ended in 1861 when Kansas joined the union. In that same year, the Civil war began.