JURY TRIALS FOR THE CLASSROOM And Justice for All: Teacher Materials And Justice for All: Student Handouts

...And Justice For All

Chris Paddock
Fountain-Fort Carson High School
Fountain, Colorado

Overview

Through this case study, students will determine whether the use of the trial system, by jury, could have altered the history of westward expansion and the forced removal of Native Americans from their land.

Objectives

Students will develop an understanding of the American jury system. Students will be able to analyze and evaluate documents related to an historical event. Students will use critical thinking skills to decide whether the outcome of a historical event could have been altered by the use of a jury system.

Task

Students will develop a mock court trial using primary and secondary sources that chronicle an historical event. The event in this lesson is the Meeker Massacre of 1879. Participants will be given roles based on the American jury system: judge, jury, prosecution, defense, and witnesses. Each individual will study the background of their character according to available sources and prepare for an actual mock trial.

Materials Required

• "The Bloody End of Meeker's Utopia," American Heritage Magazine, Marshall Sprague, January 1964, pp. 244-252.
• Defense and prosecution instruction worksheet
• Jury Notepad
• Witness Role Sheet

Roles

Judge - The teacher will facilitate the mock trial as the judge.

Jury - Decide the guilt or innocence of the defendant in an historical event.

Prosecution - Prepare the prosecution's case against the defendant.

Defense - Prepare the defense's case.

Witness - Aide in the development of the prosecution or defense's case.

Assessment

The jury will be videotaped deliberating the verdict of the case as presented by the prosecution and defense. Each student will watch the video and prepare a paper on why they believe the jury's verdict was for or against the defendant. Each paper will need to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the prosecution and defense as witnessed by the jury, and whether any outside influences had an impact on the jury's decision.

Colorado State Standards Assessed and/or Addressed

History Standard 2: Students know how to use the processes and resources of historical inquiry. H.S. 2.1, 2.2, 2.3

Civics Standard 2: Students understand the basic constitutional principles and democratic foundations of our national, state, and local political systems. C.S. 2.1,2.3