trial of columbus

1. The Trial of
Columbus

2. Today’s Objectives
Content Objective
I can use evidence from
a variety of sources to
create and defend a
hypothesis.
Language Objective
I can define and use key
words associated with
court cases.

3. Columbus Yeah But…
 Each partner will decide if they will argue whether
Columbus should be remembered positively or negatively.
 The first partner writes an argument with evidence from
the sources.
 The second partner yeah buts… and provides an
argument from their perspective.
 Continue until all Yeah Buts… are full. Be prepared to
share.

4. Key Vocabulary
 Indictment: A formal charge or accusation of a serious
crime.
 The corrupt politician was indicted on charges of bribery.
 Defendant: The person, group, or institution who is
accused of wrong doing in a court of law.
 Prosecutor: A lawyer who conducts a case against a
defendant in a criminal court case.

5. Key Question
Who should be held accountable for
the deaths of the nearly 3 million
Tainos on the island of Hispaniola?

6. Instructions
 Get into your assigned groups.
 Read all five Indictment pages. Pay special attention to your
own.
 As a group, determine whether you will plead guilty or
innocent. Then create a formal written statement that explains
your choice in detail. Your statement must include
evidence/CDs from the sources (Primary and/or Secondary)
that we have read in class.
 As a group, you should also explain who should be who (else) is
guilty of the crimes and defend them with evidence/CDs from
the sources.

7. Trial of Columbus
Procedures
1. The Prosecutor (Mr. Bonica) will call the defendant to the
stand and read the indictment against them.
2. The Defendant will plead their guilt or innocence and
read their defense statement.
3. The Defendant will accuse another defendant of guilt.
4. After each Defendant group has taken the stand, each
group will present a closing statement.
5. The Jury will leave and make a decision.

8. Debrief Discussion
Questions
 Who do you really think is guilty? Why?
 Was anyone entirely not guilty? Why?
 Can you imagine a peaceful meeting between the Europeans
and the Tainos? Or did the European life – the “System of
Empire” – make violence inevitable.
 What more do you need to know about the System of Empire
to understand how it affected people’s thinking and behavior?
 If the System of Empire is guilty, what should be the
“sentence”? You can’t put a system in prison.