Ap+2014+The+Scottsboro+Trials


 * Corey: Aim**

The Scottsboro Trials are one of the most infamous trials in American history. Today, the case is viewed as barbarous example of injustice and racism. However, in the 1930s, if white folk accused black folk of a crime, it was generally accepted as truth. In late March of 1931, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates, both white young women, accused a group of black youths of gang raping them. It has been reported that the women only accused the boys of rape because they were, “...fearful of being prosecuted for their sexual activity aboard the train” (Wormser). Although there was no clear evidence linking the two women and the accused group of men, the case went to trial quickly and all but one of the nine boys were sentenced to death.

The initial aim of the trials were to convict all of the boys allegedly involved and to punish them for their acts. They stood in front of an all-white jury, who had already decided the boys were guilty before the trial actually began. Even after Ruby Bates retracted her accusation on the stand, the boys continued to be prepped for the electric chair. She explained that herself and Victoria had been at their boyfriend’s houses the night before, explaining the inconsistency the doctor that evaluated them discovered. However, as word spread about the trial, the North became outraged and the Communist Party USA became the primary advocate, pushing for the exoneration of the boys. Groups focused on freeing the wrongfully convicted men formed in the North and the South, shifting the aim of the trials. The case went to the Supreme Court and they eventually allowed for retrials, leading to the four youngest defendants being freed. Later, every defendant, except Patterson, were paroled. Patterson escaped in 1948. After years of trials, convictions, and retrials, the Scottsboro Boys were no longer in danger of being put to death for a crime that was never committed. The Scottsboro Trials are the perfect, yet unfortunate, example of the rampant racism that surged throughout America during this time period.

Works Cited

Linder, Douglas O. "The Trials of The Scottsboro Boys." UKMC. 1999. Web. 09 Oct 2013.

Salter, David. “Scottsboro Trials.” Encyclopedia of Alabama. 2008. Web. 10 October 2013.

Wormser, Richard. "The Scottsboro Case." PBS. PBS, 2002. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.


 * Madison: Historical**

The wrongful accusations made against nine black teenagers, known as the Scottsboro Trials, occurred in a time when the United States was not very “united”. The “Scottsboro Boys” were accused of gang raping two white women on a Southern freight train on March 25, 1931 (Linder). After initial trials of the nine boys, eight of the them were sentenced to death and the remaining one, the youngest boy named Roy Wright, was sentenced to life in prison. The outcome for the “Scottsboro Boys” looked inevitable, until the ILD (International Labor Defense) and the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) got involved. The ILD was sponsored by the Communist Party USA and were advocates for the “Scottsboro Boys” in order to gain public support, and were able to get a stay of execution until the Supreme Court of Alabama could review the case. The Alabama Supreme Court upheld the convictions, causing the ILD to turn to the US Supreme Court for justice. This court, in 1932, “overturned the convictions (Powell v. Alabama) on the grounds that the defendants had not received adequate legal counsel in a capital case” (Wormser). More of the individuals were tried and had their convictions overturned, resulting in the four youngest boys being freed and all the rest of the boys paroled, except for Haywood Patterson. However, Haywood Patterson ended up escaping prison in 1948, only to end up in a Michigan prison for being convicted of manslaughter (Wormser).

The trials of the “Scottsboro Boys” turned out to have a positive impact on the judicial system. In one of the key trials, Powell v. Alabama, the Supreme Court’s ruling led to installments of the issues of “the right to counsel before trial at early enough stage to allow effective representation, right to effective counsel that includes ‘zealous and active’ representation, and the fact that attorneys are officers of the court and bound to render service when required by appointment” (Linder). These statements have all maintained to be effective installments, due to their continued use in the judicial system. History was also made with these trials during the Norris v. Alabama and Patterson v. Alabama cases. In both of these cases, the court ruled that African Americans had been systematically excluded from roles as jury members, and therefore the defendants did not receive a fair trial (Salter). These two cases laid the pavement for the integration of juries across the nation. Ultimately, the Scottsboro Trials initiated many of the attempts and successes for equal rights and representation of African Americans in the court system.

Works Cited

Linder, Douglas O. "The Trials of The Scottsboro Boys." UKMC. 1999. Web. 09 October 2013.

Salter, David. “Scottsboro Trials.” Encyclopedia of Alabama. 2008. Web. 10 October 2013.

Wormser, Richard. "The Scottsboro Case." PBS. PBS, 2002. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.


 * Genevieve: Cultural**

The Scottsboro Case revealed many of the deep rooted cultural prejudices present in 1930’s America involving racism, sexism, and socioeconomic classes. These trials were extremely influential in the United States, “As a political and social movement and a cultural symbol, however, the Scottsboro case played an immeasurable part in undermining the structures of white supremacy in Alabama, the South, and throughout the nation” (Salter). Racism drove this case from the very beginning; the black men were obviously innocent but they were instantly treated as guilty. Throughout the trials, the Scottsboro Boys faced injustice and extremely poor treatment. However, this case did bring more attention to rampant racism in the South and captured the attention of many Americans. Sexism played a role in this case as well. The women who testified against the boys initially did so because they feared being themselves prosecuted on charges of “immoral activities”. Women during this time period were harshly judged for any type of sexual activity. Finally, this trial represented many of the conflicts between socioeconomic classes at the time. Both the black men and white men involved were impoverished and homeless; they were all hobos riding freight trains. Lack of education and money just caused the Scottsboro Boys to be more vulnerable in court. The Scottsboro case was shaped by countless social factors, especially racism, yet this case also significantly altered American culture.

Works Cited

Linder, Douglas O. "The Trials of The Scottsboro Boys." UKMC. 1999. Web. 09 Oct 2013.

Salter, David. “Scottsboro Trials.” Encyclopedia of Alabama. 2008. Web. 10 October 2013.

Wormser, Richard. "The Scottsboro Case." PBS. PBS, 2002. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.


 * Bradley: Audience**

In the 1930s, savage racial discrimination was running rampant throughout America; one specific case captivated the attention of the entire nation: The Trials of The Scottsboro Boys. Linder Douglas argued the extreme prejudices of the Jim Crow era, “The story of the Scottsboro Boys is one of the most shameful examples of injustice in our nation's history” (“The Trials of The Scottsboro Boys”). When the trials were taking place it ripped through the nation, but different reactions occurred in different areas. For the southern society, the act of rape was a time for political gain to occur; most notable when blacks are accused of raping white girls. These trials allowed the rest of the nation to witness the cruelty and grotesqueness of the south towards blacks. The initial lawyers for the boys were horrific and lost the case, but then the Communist Party USA-their legal branch the International Labor Defense (ILD)- took up the defense for a retrial. During the 1930s in the south, blacks were presumed guilty unless otherwise proven, which the communist were able accomplish. International Labor Defense lawyers came to the aid for the Scottsboro Boys in hopes of gaining new members in southern blacks and northern liberals. In the north the reactions were the start of the first roots of the civil rights movement, “The announcement of the verdict and sentences brought a roar of protest in the North” (Wormser). Sentencing eight young black youth to a wrongful death sentence enraged the north. There were numerous protest against the mistreatments and convictions of the boys. Northerners and southerners had dramatic differentiating views on blacks and how they should be treated. The trials of The Scottsboro Boys is one of the first national discussion on the Jim Crow laws and the bias of the south that eventually lead to the civil rights movement.

Works Cited

Linder, Douglas O. "The Trials of The Scottsboro Boys." UKMC. 1999. Web. 09 Oct 2013.

“Scottsboro Trials.” Encyclopedia of Alabama. 2008. Web. 10 October 2013.

Wormser, Richard. "The Scottsboro Case." PBS. PBS, 2002. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.