Inevitable Accident or Wrongful Act: Judging the Titanic Disaster

Suggested Teaching Instructions

To get students thinking, involve them in a K-W-L graphic organizer concerning the Titanic. Ask them what they already know and what they want to know about the Titanic disaster. They can fill in what they learned following the activity.

After discussing their background knowledge, explain to students that they will be examining evidence related to the Titanic disaster that was a part of a limited liability court case. The White Star Line was trying to limit the amount of money it had to pay to owners of cargo, survivors, and the families of victims for loss of life, loss of property, and injuries. They argued that the disaster was either a) an inevitable accident or b) if human error was involved, the owner's of the company had no knowledge and could not be blamed. In the activity, it will be the student's task to examine the evidence to see which argument it helps support.

Open the activity and model careful document analysis with one of the documents. After reading the document as a group, take a poll of students to see which argument it helps support. Ask students to explain their opinions. Show how the scale works and based on the opinions of the class, place this example onto it.

Then instruct students to analyze the remaining documents. As they analyze, students should note the potential bias that may exist in the testimony or evidence provided with this case. Tell them to then place the document on the scale based on their opinion of which interpretation it helps support.

Following completion of the activity, lead a class discussion on the issue. You can write "inevitable accident" and “human error” on opposite corners of the classroom and ask students to move to the corner that reflects their overall opinion. Ask several students to explain their reasoning by citing evidence from the specific documents they analyzed. During the process, if student's opinions change based on a classmate's evidence, allow them to change positions.

After hearing their point of view, tell students that the White Star Line was protected by a limited liability statute that was created to encourage trade by minimizing risks to owners. Explain to students that in making his decision, the judge had three options.

Option 1: He could state that the Titanic disaster was an inevitable accident and the survivors, families of victims, and owners of cargo were entitled to no compensation for loss of life, property and injuries.

Option 2: He could state that the Titanic disaster was caused by the wrongful acts or negligence of the captain and crew, but the owners of the White Star Line had no knowledge of this fact. In that case, he could distribute funds to survivors and families of victims amounting to the total value of passenger fares, the amount paid for freight, and the value of any salvaged material. In the case of Titanic, this would be around $90,000 to be distributed to 700 people that filed claims for loss of life, property or injury.

Option 3: Or he could state that the Titanic disaster was caused by the wrongful acts or negligence of the captain and crew AND the owners of the White Star Line were aware of this fact. In that case, the White Star Line's liability would be unlimited and survivors and the families of victims could receive the full amount they claimed. In the case of the Titanic, this was over $16 million.

Take a poll of the class to see which option they think the judge should have taken and discuss the findings as a group. Tell students that the claimants settled out of court for $664,000 and the judge later declared the disaster an inevitable accident.

Extension Activity
Tell students to take the role of an attorney for either the White Star Line or the claimants Using the documents, write a closing argument that cites specific evidence from the primary sources and asks the judge to choose either Option 1, 2, or 3.