Order in the Court (1997)

"Order in the Court" takes students inside a colonial courtroom for three actual cases involving young people. A mother tries to free her daughter froma contract she believes has not been fulfilled, a teenager takes a joyride; and a ten your old boy kills a young girl while playing with his father's gun. Each case is taken directly from court records, and though the trials took place over 200 years ago, all three could have come fromthe pages of today's newspapers. Students will learn about the 18th century court system; who could testify, the roles of different officers of the court, and the harsh punishments the law decreed. They will also learn about indentured servitude, and social status in 18th century Williamsburg.