The Case For Mrs. Surratt

[L Verge]

Okay, scholars, I'm seeking assistance with the approval of two students and their teacher in Pennsylvania. I was contacted by them last month because they have chosen Mary Surratt's primary defense lawyer, Frederick Aiken, as their subject for the National History Day competition in in the spring of this coming year. The 2017 theme is "Taking a Stand in History."

They found that virtually nothing was known about Aiken until Surratt Society member and member of this forum (Christine Christensen of Utah) did a fantastic job of research. I quickly sent them Christine's 30-page bio on Aiken and arranged for them to visit the Surratt House and the James O. Hall Research Center on October 28. They are now at the stage where they want to interview people in the history field, and I hope that some of you will post thoughts that I can pass on to them. Here are a few of the questions that they have hit me with:

1. How did the Surratt case alter future trials involving women? (I have warned them to distinguish between federal and state cases).
2. How did the trial affect Aiken's law career?
3. How did the public react to Aiken's stand and his defense of Mary Surratt (I sent them to chroniclingamerica - even Catholic papers had different positions).
4. How did members of the U.S. military react to Aiken? (This could be a tough one.)
5. How did his contemporaries in the legal field as well as the military view him during the trial?

I have also alerted them to read up on laws of war, conspiracy law, vicarious liability, etc. I hope they also catch Aiken's dealings with the Democratic Party before the war (and after) which might have influenced his reputation during the trial as well as post-war.

I will share your thoughts with them, but I caution you to phrase your replies in terms that sound like teenagers, not well-read enthusiasts. One of my staff members is a judge at the National Finals held at the University of Maryland each year. I am going to have her discuss strategies, tricks, etc. that judges look for.