There was a case in North Carolina where a man named John Mann borrowed someone's slave by the name of Lydia. After she tried to flee from a whipping for punishment, John Mann shot her in the back to try and kill her. But she survived her injuries, but she couldn't work again. He was fined ten dollars for attempted murder and abuse in the courtroom, but John Mann wanted to get his money back. Sad thing is, he does get his money back in real life.
We had a debate in class of who side would have the best argument. I was on the side of John Mann. During that time, there were slave codes put in place to fear of rebellion. The slave codes announced that any slave that tries to flee, could be put to death. He was liable for disabling a slave for never working again, but he was Lydia's master, and could punish her however he wanted to, for he paid to have her rented to him.
The state said that it was not fully his property and the person who owned Lydia would have an economic fallout due to not having Lydia work anymore. A slave would've cost around $250, but he was only fined $10 during the trial.
There are many ways to argue in court using the Modes of Argumentation. You can argue from religion which is actually the weakest form of argument. You can also argue from mortality, ethics, economics, and history. The strongest form of argument you can use in the court is law.
https://www.ncpedia.org/state-v-john-mann
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