Scottsboro Case By Alfranli Nunez English 10 Honors
Scottsboro Case By: Alfranli Nunez English 10 Honors
Background In 1931 nine black young men were indicted at Scottsboro, Alabama on charges of raping two white women in a freight train that was passing through Alabama. After many trials the young men were found guilty and some were sentenced to death or to prison terms of 75 to 99 years. The verdicts were the result of racism in that time and many liberals and radicals
The Trial Facing death or life imprisonment the Scottsboro Boys were losing hope. The American Communist Party at the height of its organizing focus took on the case with the help of the NAACP. After two trials with an all white jury the boys were sentenced to death or life imprisonment. The CP began many national protests to overturn the conviction. Eventually one of the white women, Ruby Bates, came forward to tell her testimony and finally acknowledged that her
The Verdict The case went to the United States Supreme Court in 1937 The lives of all the nine boys were saved even though it was almost after 20 years that the last defendant was freed from prison. This Trial was a very proud moment in the American Civil Rights Movement because a mass movement of black and whites tried to beat the Jim Crow legal system and succeeded in the end
Reflection Slide The most interesting piece of my research was that this case showed how much power white people had at the time because the word of two white women could end the lives of 9 young black men. My research enhanced my understanding of the Civil Rights Movement because it showed that many radical groups were getting stronger and were starting to win more and more cases I decided to organize my information by giving background information on the trials, then what happened during the trials and lastly the verdict to show the outcome of the trials.
Works Cited Infoplease, 2012. Scottsboro Case. [online] Available at: <http: //www. infoplease. com/encyclopedia/history/ scottsboro -case. html> [Accessed April 29 th, 2014]. Kindig, Jessie. "Scottsboro Boys. " Scottsboro Boys, Trial and Defense Campaign (1931– 1937). Black Past, n. d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. <http: //www. blackpast. org/? q=aah/scottsboroboys-trial-and-defense-campaign-1931 -1937>. Wikipedia contributors. "Scottsboro Boys. " Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 26 Apr. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
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