The Scottsboro Boys



The Scottsboro Boys

Introduction

In 1931, nine black adolescent boys were blamed of a rape in Alabama and these were the Scottsboro Boys. From this incident, the landmark placed of the legal cases with the racial discrimination and the right to a just trail. An all-white jury, a frame up, rushed trials, an angry mob, and an attempted lynching are included in this case.

The Scottsboro Boys case is a paradigm of a general miscarriage of the justice (Linder, 2013). As the Scottsboro Boys became notorious, they were protected by numerous people in the North and were assaulted by several people in the South.

At present, the case is broadly believed as mistake of justice that directed to the ending of all the white judges in the South. This case has motivated the people and has been observed in music, literature, film, television and theatre.

Discussion

Factual Background

On 25th March 1931, between Memphis and Chattanooga, on the Southern Railway line, nine boys of black color were traveling on a cargo train with two white women and several white males. Near the Lookout Mountain tunnel, between the black and the white groups, a fight began, and the whites were punt from the train.

In Paint Rock, Alabama, the train was investigated by a Sheriff and group in which the orders were to capture every Negro on the train. For assault, the black boys were arrested by the Sheriff and company (Podair, 2010). The boys that were arrested were brothers Roy Wright (age 12) and Andy with an age of 19 years, Olen Montgomery with an age of 17 years, Clarence Norris (age 19), Willie Roberson having an age of 16 years, Haywood Patterson (age 18), Eugene Williams having an age of 13 years, Ozie Powell (age 16), and Charlie Weems (age 16).

Across the Victoria Price and Ruby Bates, the group and Sheriff came across and they claimed that the black boys had raped them. The white women were examined and observed by a doctor.

Scottsboro Trial

By the 118 Alabama guardsmen who were armed with machine guns, the Scottsboro boys were brought to court. In Scottsboro, it was a market day and the cultivators were in the township for buying, producing and selling the supplies. Soon a crowd of thousands were created.

Due to the expected scandalous environment of the testimony, the Courthouse needed a permit for access. Later the Supreme Court explained the scenario that the happenings took place in an environment of hostile, stressed and thrilled sentiments of the community In three rushed trials, in Scottsboro, Alabama, the case was first heard where legal representation was obtained in meager by the defendants (PBS, 2000).

The regular sentence in Alabama of raping white women was of death at that time for black men that were criminal. Only the 13 year old boy Roy Wright was sentenced to death. The case was petitioned with assistance from the American Communist Party. The 13 year old Eugene Williams was given a new trial by the Alabama Supreme Court as he was ...