In conjunction with their reading of “Chasing Lincoln’s Killer” by James Swanson, a recent virtual field trip to Ford’s Theater, and the background knowledge students have garnered through their study of the Civil War in the U.S. history curriculum, each seventh grade language arts class enacted a mock trial on Thursday and Friday, April 7 and 8. In question was the innocence or guilt of Mary Surratt, a conspirator of John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

Students participated in various roles in the proceedings — prosecutors, defense attorneys, witnesses, court reporters, and jurors — bringing to life their knowledge of this time in history. The scripted testimonies presented by students, including that of John Lloyd, a tavern owner, Louis Weichmann, Mary Surratt’s driver, and Anna Surratt, Mary’s daughter, were based on the actual trial. To create a true trial atmosphere, the Walter Lord Library was transformed into a courtroom replete with the state and U.S. flags as well as the seal of the “Gilman School Supreme Court.” Language arts teachers Matt Tully, Nick Platt, and Middle School librarian Faith Ward played the role of judge during their respective classes.

Tully said that their research on this topic led to classroom discussions on personal responsibility and accountability. Did Mary Surratt know she was a conspirator? Was it fair for her to have been put to death?

After presenting the evidence and hearing witness testimonies, the prosecution and defense teams each had five minutes to collaborate and prepare their final arguments. The jurors listened intently and then handed in their anonymous votes using a ballot box. At the conclusion of each trial, the ballots were counted and the judge declared the verdict.

One jury found Surratt guilty by a vote of 6-1. Platt explained that her trial “was the last time a military tribunal tried a civilian in the United States,” and he asked the boys how the outcome may have been different if she had been tried by a jury of her peers. One student at the prosecution table said she likely would have been found not guilty because of the high number of Confederate sympathizers in Maryland at the time.

In the real trial, in 1865, Surrat was found guilty and sentenced to death. After one seventh grade jury reached a verdict of not guilty, Tully said, “The defense team here was more successful than [the defense team in actual] history.”