Hammurabi’s Code Against The Bill of Rights In Court

As Reported By: Julia Berk, Celia Arnold, Margaret Larson, Tayah Erickson

On December 8, 2022 in the Betty Plumb Auditorium, an amazing, exciting trial at Riverdale Middle School was held. We debated about which laws this country should follow; Hammurabi’s Code or The Bill of Rights. As part of the trail, students assumed the roles of a judge, jury members, journalists, prosecution and defense.

What is Hammurabi’s Code you ask? Hammurabi’s Code is an eye for an eye, ear for an ear, life for a life justice system. It is an ancient Middle East series of laws. King Hammurabi believed that if you do something wrong then you should get the pay back. He was all about laws and what is the wrong and right thing to do. All Middle East people were forced to know all 282 laws. The laws varied according to gender and social class. Hammurabi was one of the best-known Babylonian Empires. Under Hammurabi, Babylon gained more control over Mesopotamia.

Let’s talk about The Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is a document that includes the original 10 amendments of the United States of America. The Bill of Rights gives Americans the freedoms that they have today. It gives them freedom of speech about our government. It also states that police or any type of our government can not search you without a warrant. A special day to celebrate The Bill of Rights is on December 15.

In conclusion, The Bill of Rights and Hammurabi’s Code were an interesting thing to debate about and the results ended in a tie with two classes selecting The Bill of Rights and two selecting Hammurabi’s Code.