State v Mann

In the case of State vs Mann a woman named Elizabeth Jones lent her slave, Lydia, to John Mann for a year who then abused her by shooting her in the back when she tried to escape a prior beating. When brought to court, a five-dollar fine was issued which Mann refused to pay for. When the case finally reached the Supreme Court, State argued that this went against the party’s religious beliefs as well as arguing not that slavery should be abolished, as it was legal in North Carolina at the time, but that slaves are human and should be treated as such. Mann on the other hand argued that the slave was property therefore he had the right to do whatever he wanted with her and that he should not have to pay the fine. In the final ruling, Supreme Judge Thomas Ruffin stated that while personally he ruled in favor of Lydia he had to remain impartial to the law and therefore ruled in favor of Mann from the lawful standpoint, and the fine was overruled.