Mock Trial Of Andrew Jackson Held By Morgan Park Academy Students

CHICAGO (MORGAN PARK) — While the current United States president was on trial earlier this week, students at a private school on Chicago's South Side put a former commander in chief on trial. One who has been dead for 175 years.

Upper School students at Morgan Park Academy used the mock trial format to interrogate the legacy of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the U.S. who to this day has his image on the $10 bill. The students in Paula Ethridge's history class at MPA put Jackson on trial for driving Native Americans off their lands, the school said in a news release.

"Preparing and conducting opening statements, direct examinations, and closing arguments, students took on the roles of historical figures who were involved in the real-life accusations centuries ago, arguing their cases before teacher Paula Etheridge," the school wrote.

"The format requires that students evaluate perspective and corroboration, which are key elements of the study of history. They learn to evaluate contemporary primary source documents, which are used as evidence, and get the opportunity to collaborate in teams to evaluate evidence and construct strategy.

It also provides an especially good forum for students who learn best through role-playing activities, allowing them to deepen their knowledge of concepts, people, and periods that were discussed in class."

Scroll through the images atop the article for more scenes from the mock trial.