Gavels and Courts

Yesterday I took a picture of  a gavel. A gavel is a hammer-like object used in courts. It made me wonder when courts first started. I also wondered why courts use gavels. I learned a lot from researching this.

                Courts date back to as far as the Mesopotamia civilization, which started around 3500 B.C. Courts and judges at that time were based off of the Old Testament. Nowadays, courts settle all kinds of conflicts including but not limited to car accidents, violence, fraud, and theft. There are many courts in the United States. The highest court is the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. Each state also has supreme courts. Court cases have made television once in a while. A recent case on TV was Casey Anthony. There are also  courts that are TV shows such as Judge Judy. Courts have come a long way since Mesopotamia.

                The gavel has an interesting history. The first gavel dates back to Medieval England. It was used to notify people if something other than money was used to pay. Now, it’s used to call for attention. The saying “Order in the Court” then follows. Gavels aren’t used only in courts. For example, The U.S. Senate uses a gavel that was given to them in 1954 by the Republic of India. Gavels have become very important in the court systems.

                Throughout history, courts and gavels have been important. Courts have settled arguments for thousands of years and gavels have been drawing attention almost as long. They will be serving that same purpose for a long time.