Mr. Koenig’s 8th grade U.S History students conducted a mock trial this week in the International Criminal Court. The defendants were Christoper Columbus, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, and the System of Empire. The charge was Genocide against the Taino people of Hispaniola. Students played the roles of lawyers and witnesses, arguing whether Columbus’s treatment of the native people constituted Genocide. The class is working on a unit on exploration as part of the year-long American History curriculum.
Columbus on Trial
