Grayson Phebus 6th grade core 1 social studies 11/15/24. The Swing of the Gavel was King Hammurabi's Code Fair? Clearly, King Hammurabi's code of laws was unjust because his punishments are very harsh and cruel for crimes not deserving of the punishment. For example, law 195 states “if a son has struck his father, his hands shall be cut off.” (document C page 17) This evidence shows that King Hammurabi's code was unjust, even though some might argue it is just because a son struck his father, but what qualifies as striking? And what if the father struck first? That is why King Hammurabi's code was unjust. Adding to this, King Hammurabi's code was unjust because of the harsh punishments for a crime that can be resolved with a fine of jail time, such as law 21 where it states “if a man has broken through the wall to rob a house they shall put him to death and pierce him or hang …show more content…
For example, shamash god of justice gave him the code and he knows what is just. Adit Noly king Hammurabi says “by the command of Shamash the great god and judge of heaven and earth let righteousness go forth in the land. (document B page 15) This evidence shows that king Hammurabi's code of laws was fair because king Hammurabi got his laws from the god of justice Shamash which shows that the gods approve the laws of Babylonia and they are just laws. Furthermore, in some cases the gods are witness to the justice, such as law 23 that says “if the robber is not caught, the man shall formally declare what he has lost before a god and the city and mayor in whose territory or district the robbery has been committed shall replace for him what he has lost.”(document D page 19) This evidence proves that king Hammurabi's code of laws was just because the gods approve of the justice administered and declare it fair to all people. In conclusion when you think of King Hammurabi's code and think it is unfair ask yourself is