The OJ Simpson Trial

Hello student! Welcome to your webquest. This assignment is designed to help you learn more about the OJ Simpson case. 

As you may or may not know, the OJ Simpson case is one of the most conservational rulings in the past century. The case centers around former pro-athlete, and movie star, OJ Simpson who was accused of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her boyfriend. The case was televised nationally and involved several high-profile lawyers on both the defense and the prosecution. OJ was able to afford a strong legal defense, often referred to as "The Dream Team." The team included Robert Shapiro, Johnnie Cochran, Robert Kardashian, Barry Scheck, F. Lee Bailey, Alan Dershowitz, Carl Douglas, and Peter Neufeld. 

Despite the overwhelming evidence, OJ Simpson was found not guilty; a verdict that shocked the world. The reactions of the public were split by race; while most of the white population believed that OJ was guilty, the African American community was convinced that he was not and the whole trial was an attempt to slander a prominent member of their community. 

After the trial was finished, OJ celebrated and rejoiced in his new found freedom, announcing his full support for the LAPD to find his wife's killer. However, there were no follow-up investigations done by the department; it was believed that OJ was the true killer. The family of Nicole Brown Simpson and her supposed lover, Ronald Goldman were set on finding a way to make OJ admit his guilt and to find peace with the case. 

As of 2017, OJ Simpson is on parole for a new charge; breaking and entering. He was found in the house of man he had sold memorabilia to, attempting to retrieve it and threatened the man with physical violence. 

The effects of the case rippled through America, leaving people questioning how the case was handled, the incompetence of the police department, and how deep the racial divide was regarding the case. 

How did he fall so far? From beloved NFL star and actor to accused criminal prosecuted with murder charges, the worst possible crime that can be committed by a human. 

 (1)     (2)

Gabi Mikell 

APUSH, 4B 

                                            (3) 

First Task: A Documentary 

Watch the documentary linked in the URL below. 

https://www.youthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG5CPhGoT3Mube.com/watch?v=QG5CPhGoT3M

The questions for the video will be listed in the Process key. 

Second Task: Divided America

Your next task is to write about the racial divide in the case. It was evident in the aftermath of the verdict that America was deeply divided between whether OJ was truly guilty or not. An overwhelming majority of the African-American community believed that OJ Simpson was not guilty and was simply the victim of the police department and public to disgrace one of their community's greatest celebrities. On the other hand, the white public saw OJ as guilty, especially white women. 

It is your job to view the following sources and list the strongest points made on both sides. You will be given two different sources; one written from a person who believed that OJ was guilty and another that sees him as innocent. Follow the prompt listed in the process key for further information. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10892053/OJ-Simpson-was-he-innocent-all-along.html (4) 

https://newsone.com/1334425/five-reasons-why-we-know-o-j-did-it/ (5) 

Third Task: Police Misconduct 

The evidence was almost overwhelming; all the cards pointed to OJ as the murderer of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. However, a series of blunders by the LAPD created an easy case for the defense. It was also revealed that Mark Furhman, a former detective with the LAPD, was a corrupt cop and a racist. 

Write a short essay about the involvement of the police in the OJ Simpson case. If the police handled the evidence correctly, would things have turned out differently? If Mark Furhman's tape had not been found would the defense still be able to prove that he was a racist? 

Here is a website that will help you! 

http://www.ibtimes.com/people-vs-oj-simpson-why-was-mark-fuhrman-so-damaging-because-lapd-was-corrupt-2345900 (6) 

Fourth Task: The People v.s. OJ Simpson 

FX recently produced a 10 part mini series depicting the time period during the trial. It followed both OJ, the defense, and the prosecution with the involvement of many consultants and first-hand accounts. It has received critical and commercial success, proving to be one of the most watched shows on Netflix. 

Please watch the first episode of the show. Pretend that you are part of the episode. You may choose whatever role you would like. You should be able to display an understanding of how other characters are acting and write your reaction. This is purely creative! There is also a bonus quiz with 6 questions. 

First Task: 

1) What car is famously connected to OJ Simpson? 

2) Who's blood was found on the pair of socks in the master bedroom? 

3) Why was the cut on OJ's left hand vital to the detectives?

4) Who did OJ leave a letter for? What was the tone of the letter? 

5) What did examiner Rod Englert find on Simpson's car? 

6) Why was Robert Lange convinced that OJ had to be guilty? 

7) Why did Henry Lee believe that the crime scene was handled poorly? 

8) Why is Peter Harpur upset by the coroner's officer in the video? 

9) Who are the two people that Jennifer told Ron Shipp could have killed Nicole? 

10) What does Donald Freed think OJ's guilt is based on? 

11) What reasoning did Bill Wasz give for being hired to follow Nicole? What had he claimed to do for Nicole and OJ?  

12) Who did Bill Wasz take pictures of Nicole with? 

13) What two things did Simpson's friend ask Wasz to do? 

14) What did Wasz believe would happen to him if he killed Nicole? 

15) What did the director say to Joesph?

16) What did the revelation of the corruption of the LAPD do for other cases that had been worked on? 

Second Task 

This piece should include the following elements. Look at credits for the complete rubric.

• Should be written in full sentences. 
• Bullet points are allowed. 
• Should be well organized and legible. 
• The student should be able to make the words their own unless the plan on giving credit to a specific source. 
• Other sources are allowed but should be properly cited. 

 Third Task 

This essay should be written in MLA format with correct heading and page numbers. The piece should be 3-5 pages long with double space and should be written in Times New Roman font 12. 

• Should be written in complete sentences.
• Should make specific references to the text provided. 
• Must include a thesis and concluding paragraph. 
• Quotes and references should be included with credit to the original piece. 

Fourth Task 

If the student is unable to watch the episode on Netflix, they are encouraged to find it elsewhere or watch with another student. Viewer discretion is advised; the show is rated TV-14. The student should site-specific events in the first episode while adding personal opinions. The student should demonstrate an evaluation of character and tone in the actors that portray real life characters. 

The student should be creative and is allowed to branch off in a direction that they choose. 

                                 (7) 

Bonus Task: Here is a quiz based on the first episode of The People V. OJ Simpson. The quiz is of my own making. 

https://goo.gl/stsqD0

If the student scores poorly, they are encouraged to review until they get all the questions correct. 

Trial Leaves Public Split on Racial Lines (8) 

By Janet Adler 

Published: October 2, 1995 

A poll taken just at end of the O. J. Simpson trial showed that the yearlong proceeding left public opinion as polarized along racial lines as it had been at the outset, not only regarding the specifics of the case but also on issues concerning the criminal justice system.

On survey questions regarding Mr. Simpson's guilt or innocence, black respondents and white respondents offered nearly mirror-image answers. In a recent CBS News Poll, 64 percent of whites who were questioned said Mr. Simpson was probably guilty of the crimes with which he has been charged while 11 percent said he was probably not guilty. Among blacks, 12 percent said he was probably guilty and 59 percent said he was probably not guilty.

The trial has had little effect on the public's perception of Mr. Simpson's guilt or innocence. In a Gallup Poll taken in July 1994, 62 percent of the adult Americans surveyed said the charges against Mr. Simpson were probably true and 21 percent said they were probably not true. In the recent CBS poll, 57 percent of those surveyed said Mr. Simpson was probably guilty and 18 percent said he probably was not.

The nationwide CBS News poll was conducted by telephone with 1,046 adults, including 764 whites and 199 blacks, on Friday and Saturday. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus four percentage points for white participants and seven percentage points for black participants.

Americans split again along racial lines when asked whether or not Mr. Simpson has received a fair trial. Seventy-four percent of whites responding said he had and 13 percent said he had not. Black respondents were more closely divided, with 45 percent saying that the trial had been fair and 40 percent saying it had not.

When asked about their confidence in the criminal justice system, 71 percent of whites and 52 percent of blacks said they had "a great deal" or "some confidence" that "the system usually makes the right decisions" about guilt or innocence.

Blacks, in particular, had less confidence in the police. In a CBS News Poll conducted last month, 65 percent of whites said they had a great deal or a lot of confidence in their local police. But only 37 percent of blacks said they had such high levels of confidence in their local police. In another measure, half of whites and more than three-quarters of blacks said the police in most big cities are generally tougher on blacks than on whites.

In last month's poll, wariness of the police ran even deeper among the nation's blacks. Fifty-five percent of whites said they think of the police as friends while only 30 percent of blacks said the same.

And in a question that offered a hypothetical encounter with the police, like getting a traffic ticket, only 5 percent of whites said they would be given a harder time than other people. By contrast, 28 percent of blacks said they expected to be treated more harshly than others.

(9) 

Pictures from the Trial 

 (10) The famed "Dream Team." This includes F. Lee Bailey, Robert Kardashian, Robert Shapiro, Alan Dershowitz, Johnnie Cochran, Gerald Uelmen, Carl E. Douglas and Shawn Holley.

 (11) On the other side, there was Marcia Clark and Christopher Dardan. Marcia was slammed by critics for botching a case that many believed was a clear win. Christopher was also attacked for trying to 'crush' a successful black man. He was accused by Johnnie Cochran of betraying his own race. 

 (12) The original photo featured on Newsweek was compared to the cover of Time and slammed by the public. "Some critics said that by darkening the photo of Mr. Simpson's face Time gave him a more sinister appearance and was thus guilty of racism." (13) 

                                                                            Sources

(1) "On The Road Again." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 15 Mar. 2010. Web. 02 June 2017.

(2) Boyette, Chris. "Key Moments from the O.J. Simpson Trial." CNN. Cable News Network, 06 Oct. 2015. Web. 02 June 2017.

(3) Victor, Daniel. "The O.J. Simpson Murder Trial, as Covered by The Times." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Feb. 2016. Web. 02 June 2017.

(4) Rowe, Sam. "OJ Simpson: Was He Innocent All Along?" The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 11 June 2014. Web. 02 June 2017.

(5) Staff, Newsone. "Five Things That Suggest O.J. Simpson Killed His Wife." News One. News One, 24 Mar. 2016. Web. 03 June 2017.

(6) Pressberg, Matt. "'People Vs. OJ Simpson': Why Was Mark Fuhrman So Damaging? Because The LAPD Was That Corrupt." International Business Times. N.p., 05 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 June 2017.

(7) Itzkoff, Dave. "'The People v. O.J. Simpson': Going Beyond the Verdict." The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Jan. 2016. Web. 03 June 2017.

(8 & 9) Elder, Janet. "Trial Leaves Public Split on Racial Lines." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Oct. 1995. Web. 03 June 2017.

(10) Guerrasio, Jason. "How O.J. Simpson paid for the 'Dream Team' of lawyers on his murder trial." Business Insider. Business Insider, 19 June 2016. Web. 04 June 2017.

(11) Person. "Chris Darden: Marcia Clark and I 'Were More Than Friends'" Us Weekly. Us Weekly, 20 Sept. 2016. Web. 04 June 2017.

(12 & 13)  Carmody, Deirdre. "Time Responds to Criticism Over Simpson Cover." The New York Times. The New York Times, 24 June 1994. Web. 04 June 2017.

Answer Key For First Task 

1)  Ford Bronco

2) Nicole Brown Simpson

3) The glove that was found belonged to someone who would have injuries on his left hand. If he had killed Nicole and Ron, he would be injured on his left.

4) OJ left a letter for his friend, Robert Kardashian. He described his pain for being accused of murder and claimed he loved Nicole.

5) He found a transfer of blood pattern on the door that was consistent with the bleeding left hand of OJ Simpson.

6) The evidence against him was overwhelming and there were no other leads to anyone else.

7) It was not closed off properly and people were walking around carelessly. After contamination, it's impossible to know what's the truth.

8) He had walked through the blood and over the body. He is standing at the top of the passageway and is leaning against railings with his foot against the wall and rubbing valuable evidence away while introducing new evidence.

9) OJ Simpson or Jason

10) He feels that OJ feels guilty not about what he did, but what he did not do. 

11) They wanted to know who Nicole was seeing and what she was doing. Bill claimed that he sold cocaine to them.

12) An Amerian football player, Marcus Allen.

13) Take pictures of Nicole with any man and to be a hit man for him.

14) He would be a fall man for the killing or he would be killed by the man on the spot.

15) He said he would work the Wasz angle and that he truly believed it was the right direction.

16) It left them open for evaluation.

Rubric for Second Task 

Grade A 

• Shows a clear understanding of the question. Addresses each aspect. 
• Shows an ability to clearly compare and contrast different ideas. 
• Supports writing with relevant information and uses sources other than ones provided.
• Is clear and logical in thought.

Grade B 

• Shows a clear understanding of the question. Addresses each aspect. 
• Shows an ability to clearly compare and contrast different ideas. 
• Includes relevant fact, and examples, but does not use outside sources. 
• Is organized and logical in writing. 

 Grade C 

• Demonstrates an average understanding of the prompt. 
• Addresses some of the aspects, but does not attempt to see both sides. 
• Shows an average ability to evaluate different opinions 
• Writes an averagely developed piece, with little to no organization
• Uses some facts, but is mostly scattered.

Grade D 

• Attempts to address the prompt, but uses inaccurate information 
• Does not use another source nor attempt to reference the one given. 
• Shows limited understanding of what is being asked. 
• Writes poorly 

Grade F 

• Fails to address prompt 

Rubric for Third Task 

Rubric for Fourth Task