Editorial: 7th Grade Mock Trial

By: Vivienne Rachmansky and Jennifer Pillai

The 7th graders were engrossed in a trial that questioned who is responsible for the genocide and mistreatment of the Taino people. Groups of six students played different court roles such as the lawyer, defendant and prosecutor. The groups were as follows; Christopher Columbus, the monarchy of Spain, Columbus’ men, the System of Empire, and the Tainos themselves. The competition was vicious, and the arguments were strong, but in the end, some groups were more guilty than others. Only the jury can decide who was really to blame for this bloody massacre.

INTERVIEW: Here are some words from Ms. Robles, the teacher behind the project:

*some answers have been edited for clarity and length

How did you get the idea to create this assignment?

“I'd love to say it was my original idea but it was Howard Zinn's. It was part of a People's History and rethinking Columbus and how to bring multiple perspectives.”

What do you hope the students will take away from this experience?

“That in uncovering truth, they find that here is more than just the surface of the dominant narrative.”

How do you think the students’ opinions have changed from the beginning of this project?

“I think with knowledge and having the primary documents as evidence to support their thinking, they know that it [the trial] is just more than one sided. It is more of a mixture of events and makes it more complicated.”

Personally, who do you think is most guilty for the genocide of the Tainos?

“Oh, I do not want to take any sides by answering that, but I think the Tainos are least guilty.”

Do you believe that the jury of students made fair decisions?

“I think it is a practice, and as you saw with the findings, not all juries were impartial. Although they were sworn in...they definitely had some bias.”

VERDICTS:

The jury of students came up with these verdicts:

7A

Defendant

Percentage of Guilt

Tainos

2%

Christopher Columbus

35%

Columbus’ Men

10%

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella

50%

The system of Empire

3%

7B

Defendant

Percentage of Guilt

Tainos

5%

Christopher Columbus

35%

Columbus’ Men

35%

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella

15%

The system of Empire

10%

7C

Defendant

Percentage of Guilt

Tainos

2%

Christopher Columbus

30%

Columbus’ Men

48%

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella

15%

The system of Empire

5%