Full Answer
Why was the Scottsboro case so significant?
Why was the Scottsboro case so significant? The case marked the first stirrings of the civil rights movement and led to two landmark Supreme Court rulings that established important rights for criminal defendants. Nine young black Alabama youths – ranging in age from 12 to 19 – were charged with raping two white women near the small town of Scottsboro, Alabama.
Were any of the Scottsboro Boys executed?
The Scottsboro Boys were convicted and condemned to death after four separate trials. Eight of the nine Scottsboro Boys were found guilty and sentenced to death. An inconclusive verdict was reached in the case of 12-year-old Roy Wright when eleven of the twelve jurors insisted on the death penalty, despite the prosecution’s desire for simply a life sentence due to the child’s youth.
How long has the Jodi Arias trial lasted?
The sentencing retrial began in October 2014, and lasted for four months, only to result in another deadlocked jury. On April 13, 2015, Judge Sherry Stephens sentenced Jodi to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. She is currently incarcerated at Arizona State Prison Complex – Perryville.
How many trials were on the Scottsboro trial?
How many Scottsboro trials were there? On March 24, 1932, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled against seven of the eight remaining Scottsboro Boys, confirming the convictions and death sentences of all but the 13-year-old Eugene Williams. It upheld seven of eight rulings from the lower court. Click to see full answer.
How many Scottsboro boys were indicted?
Why did Judge Horton postpone the trial of the other defendants?
Why is Patterson's case not argued?
How long is Andy Wright's sentence?
Why did Eugene Williams get a new trial?
When did the Supreme Court decline to hear Haywood Patterson's appeal?
When does Judge Horton set aside Patterson's conviction?
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About this website
How many years were the Scottsboro trials?
The case of the Scottsboro Boys, which lasted more than 80 years, helped to spur the Civil Rights Movement. The perseverance of the Scottsboro Boys and the attorneys and community leaders who supported their case helped to inspire several prominent activists and organizers.
How did the Scottsboro trial end?
Their trials began 12 days after the alleged crime and, despite ample evidence that they were innocent, eight of the nine were found guilty by all-white juries and sentenced to death in the electric chair.
How long did it take for the last Scottsboro boy to be released?
Wright left Alabama in violation of his parole in 1946, was arrested, and for the next four years was in and out of the Alabama prison system. He left Kilby prison for good on June 6, 1950, the last Scottsboro Boy to be freed.
When did the Scottsboro case end?
July 20-21: The trial of Andy Wright ends in conviction and a sentence of 99 years. July 22-23: The trial of Charley Weems ends in conviction and a sentence of 75 years.
Is Ruby Bates still alive?
She died in 1982. At the time she accused three black young men of raping her, Ruby Bates was seventeen years old. She lived, like Victoria Price, in a poor neighborhood of Huntsville and worked in the mills.
Did the Scottsboro Boys get justice?
The trial was again fast and ended in a guilty verdict with the punishment of death. Andy Wright's was next – guilty with 99 years. Charlie Weems got 75 years. Ozie Powell got 20 years for assaulting the deputy after rape charges against him were dropped.
Are any of the Scottsboro Boys still alive?
Clarence Norris, the last survivor of the ''Scottsboro Boys'' rape case, which became a symbol of racial injustice in the Deep South in the 1930's, died Monday at Bronx Community Hospital after a long illness. He was 76 years old.
How many trials did the Scottsboro Boys go through?
When the four trials were over, eight of the nine Scottsboro Boys had been convicted and sentenced to death. A mistrial was declared in the case of 12-year old Roy Wright, when eleven of the jurors held out for death despite the request of the prosecution for only a life sentence in view of his tender age.
How many Scottsboro Boys were there?
That drama revolved around nine Black youths charged with raping two white girls on a freight train in Alabama. The youths became known as the Scottsboro Boys, and the case became a window into the South's unremittingly brutal system of justice.
Who defended the Scottsboro Boys?
Samuel LeibowitzNationalityAmericanAlma materCornell UniversityOccupationLawyerKnown forDefending the Scottsboro Boys5 more rows
Why did the Scottsboro trial happen?
Scottsboro case, major U.S. civil rights controversy of the 1930s surrounding the prosecution in Scottsboro, Alabama, of nine black youths charged with the rape of two white women. The nine, after nearly being lynched, were brought to trial in Scottsboro in April 1931, just three weeks after their arrests.
Who was the youngest Scottsboro boy?
The youngest of the Scottsboro defendants, Roy Wright was interviewed by the New York Times while he awaited his trial in juvenile court. At the initial trial, Roy testified that he had seen some of the other defendants rape the two girls, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates.
Were any of the Scottsboro Boys killed?
Ozzie Powell, age 15. Powell was shot in the head by a guard in 1937 after he stabbed the officer during a prison transfer.
How many trials did the Scottsboro Boys go through?
When the four trials were over, eight of the nine Scottsboro Boys had been convicted and sentenced to death. A mistrial was declared in the case of 12-year old Roy Wright, when eleven of the jurors held out for death despite the request of the prosecution for only a life sentence in view of his tender age.
What did the Scottsboro Boys actually do?
That drama revolved around nine Black youths charged with raping two white girls on a freight train in Alabama. The youths became known as the Scottsboro Boys, and the case became a window into the South's unremittingly brutal system of justice.
How many Scottsboro Boys were there?
Patterson admitted that he was one of the black teenagers who fought with white hoboes, who had tried to force them off the train, but the charge against him was rape. After the first trial, in which the nine Scottsboro defendants were tried in groups, Patterson became the point man in the subsequent trials.
The Saga of The Scottsboro Boys | American Civil Liberties Union
That drama revolved around nine Black youths charged with raping two white girls on a freight train in Alabama. The youths became known as the Scottsboro Boys, and the case became a window into the South’s unremittingly brutal system of justice.
When were the Scottsboro boys convicted?
In the first set of trials in April 1931 , an all-white, all-male jury quickly convicted the Scottsboro Boys and sentenced eight of them to death.
What was the second landmark decision in the Scottsboro Boys case?
This second landmark decision in the Scottsboro Boys case would help integrate future juries across the nation. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP) and other civil rights groups joined the ILD that year to form the Scottsboro Defense Committee, which reorganized the defense effort for the next set of retrials.
Who Were the Scottsboro Boys?
By the early 1930s, with the nation mired in the Great Depression, many unemployed Americans would try and hitch rides aboard freight trains to move around the country searching for work.
What was the name of the case in which two black teenagers were accused of rape?
Alabama. Norris v. Alabama. The Scottsboro Boys were nine black teenagers falsely accused of raping two white women aboard a train near Scottsboro, Alabama, in 1931. The trials and repeated retrials of the Scottsboro Boys sparked an international uproar and produced two landmark U.S. Supreme Court verdicts, even as the defendants were forced ...
How many teenagers were arrested in Scottsboro?
The nine teenagers—Charlie Weems, Ozie Powell, Clarence Norris, Andrew and Leroy Wright, Olen Montgomery, Willie Roberson, Haywood Patterson and Eugene Williams—were transferred to the local county seat, Scottsboro, to await trial. Only four of them had known each other before their arrest.
What was the legal wing of the Communist Party that took on the boys case?
At this point, the International Labor Defense (ILD), the legal wing of the American Communist Party, took on the boys’ case, seeing its potential to galvanize public opinion against racism.
What book did Harper Lee write?
Harper Lee reportedly drew on the boys’ experience when she wrote her classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird, and over the years the case has inspired numerous other books, songs, feature films, documentaries and even a Broadway musical.
How many Scottsboro boys were indicted?
March 30: The nine "Scottsboro Boys" are indicted by a grand jury .
Who is the last surviving Scottsboro boy?
January 23: Clarence Norris dies. He is the last surviving of the Scottsboro Boys.
What case did Leibowitz appear before?
He also shows the Supreme Court justices the jury rolls with forged names. April 1: In the case of Norris v.
How long was Ozie Powell in jail?
He is found guilty and sentenced to 75 years in prison. This sentence was a negotiation between the foreman and the rest of the jury. January 24: Ozie Powell pulls a knife and slashes a police officer's throat while being transported to Birmingham Jail. Another police official shoots Powell in the head.
How many defendants were stayed in the Alabama execution?
June 22: Pending an appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court, the executions of the nine defendants are stayed.
Why did Williams get a new trial?
Williams is granted a new trial because he was considered a minor when he was originally convicted. May 27: The United States Supreme Court decides to hear the case. November 7: In the case of Powell v. Alabama, the Supreme Court ruled that the defendants were denied the right to counsel.
Why is Patterson's case not included in the argument?
The case is overturned and sent to a lower court. However, Patterson's case is not included in the argument because of filing date technicalities. The Supreme Court suggests that lower courts review Patterson's case. December: The defense team is reorganized.
Who was the stenographer in the Scottsboro case?
Judge Hawkins, Dr. Bridges, Hamlin Caldwell, the court stenographer; Sheriff Wann and many others were emphatic in their statements that the crowd had poured into Scottsboro in the spirit of going to a circus and wanted to see the show, but were without malicious intent toward the defendants.
Who was the girl in the Scottsboro case?
The challenge flung to the Negro race in the Scottsboro case was Ruby Bates, and another like her. Ruby, a girl whom life had forced down to equality with Negroes in violation of all the upholders of white supremacy were shouting. As a symbol of the Untouchable White Woman, the Whites held high - Ruby.
How old was Ruby Bates when she went on the trip?
and gave her age as 21, planned the trip, urging the younger one, Ruby Bates, 17 years old, to go with her. All that is in known so far of this trip is what Victoria Price later told concerning it on the witness stand.
What were the working conditions at the Margaret and Helen Mills?
Wages were always low and hours long in all the Huntsville Mills, but in the Margaret and Helen especially, working conditions are very bad. The workers had to bear the brunt of the competition with the modern mills, backed by outside capital and with outside connections to help them out, while the Margaret and Helen management was muddling along in the old way. Respectable citizens of Huntsville said that only the lowest type of mill worker would take a job in the Margaret and Helen Mills.
Why did the soldiers form a picket line in Scottsboro?
Armed soldiers formed a picket line to keep the mass of people out of the Square, and no one was admitted into the Courthouse without a special permit. A Lynching Spirit. Officials and residents of Scottsboro maintained that the crowd was peaceful and showed no evidence of lynching spirit. Mrs.
When did the Hobo girls go to Chattanooga?
May 27, 1931. HISTORY OF THE CASE. Two Huntsville Mill Girls Hobo to Chattanooga. On March 24, 1931, two mill girls from Huntsville in Madison County, northern Alabama, dressed up in overalls and hoboed their way by freight train to Chattanooga, Tenn., about 97 miles away.
Was there a lynching spirit in Scottsboro?
If, as the town authorities claimed, there was no lynching spirit, Major Stearnes, in charge of the soldiers called to Scottsboro, certainly did not go on this supposition. The town looked like an armed camp in war time. Armed soldiers were on guard both inside and outside the courthouse, and before Court opened, the Major gave orders to have persons in attendance at the trial searched.
How many Scottsboro boys were indicted?
March 30: A grand jury indicts all nine "Scottsboro Boys."
Why did Judge Horton postpone the trial of the other defendants?
Then, the judge postpones the trials of the other defendants because tensions in town are running too high to expect a "just and impartial verdict.".
Why is Patterson's case not argued?
The case is overturned and remanded to a lower court. Patterson's case is not argued before the court because of technicalities in filing dates; however, the court strongly suggests the lower courts review his case "in light of the situation which has now developed.".
How long is Andy Wright's sentence?
July 20-21: The trial of Andy Wright ends in conviction and a sentence of 99 years.
Why did Eugene Williams get a new trial?
March 24: The Alabama Supreme Court, voting 6-1, upholds the convictions of seven of the defendants, granting Eugene Williams a new trial because he was a juvenile at the time of his conviction.
When did the Supreme Court decline to hear Haywood Patterson's appeal?
October 26: The U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear the appeal of Haywood Patterson.
When does Judge Horton set aside Patterson's conviction?
June 22 : Judge Horton sets aside Patterson's conviction and grants a new trial.
Who Were The Scottsboro Boys?
Initial Trials and Appeals
- In the first set of trials in April 1931, an all-white, all-male jury quickly convicted the Scottsboro Boys and sentenced eight of them to death. The trial of the youngest, 13-year-old Leroy Wright, ended in a hung jury when one juror favored life imprisonment rather than death. A mistrial was declared, and Leroy Wright would remain in prison until...
Powell v. Alabama
- In November 1932, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Powell v. Alabama that the Scottsboro defendants had been denied the right to counsel, which violated their right to due process under the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court overturned the Alabama verdicts, setting an important legal precedent for enforcing the right of Black Americans to adequate counsel, and remanded t…
Norris v. Alabama
- In January 1935, the Supreme Court again overturned the guilty verdicts, ruling in Norris v. Alabamathat the systematic exclusion of blacks on Jackson Country jury rolls denied a fair trial to the defendants, and suggesting that the lower courts review Patterson’s case as well. This second landmark decision in the Scottsboro Boys case would help integrate future juries across the nati…
Scottsboro Boys Legacy
- Alabama officials eventually agreed to let four of the convicted Scottsboro Boys—Weems, Andy Wright, Norris and Powell—out on parole. After escaping from prison in 1948, Patterson was picked up in Detroit by the FBI, but the Michigangovernor refused Alabama’s efforts to extradite him. Convicted of manslaughter after a barroom brawl in 1951, Patterson died of cancer in 1952…
Harper Lee
- Author Harper Lee reportedly drew on the boys’ experience when she wrote her classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird, and over the years the case has inspired numerous other books, songs, feature films, documentaries and even a Broadway musical. Clarence Norris, who received a pardon from Governor George Wallaceof Alabama in 1976, would outlive all of the other Scottsboro Boys, dyi…
Sources
- Daren Salter, Scottsboro Trials, Encyclopedia of Alabama. Scottsboro: An American Tragedy, PBS. History, Scottsboro Boys Museum. Alan Blinder, “Alabama Pardons 3 ‘Scottsboro Boys’ After 80 Years,” New York Times, November 21, 2013.
1931
1932
1933
- January:Noted attorney Samuel Leibowitz takes the case for the IDL. March 27:Patterson's second trial begins in Decatur, Ala before Judge James Horton. April 6:Bates comes forward as a witness for the defense. She denies being raped and further testifies that she was with Price for the duration of the train ride. During the trial, Dr. Bridges says that Price showed very little physic…
1934
- June 12:In his bid for re-election, Horton is defeated. June 28:In a defense motion for new trials, Leibowitz argues that qualified African-Americans were kept off jury rolls. He also argues that names added on the current rolls were forged. The Alabama Supreme Court denies the defense motion for new trials. October 1:Lawyers associated with ILD are caught with $1500 bribe that w…
1935
- February 15:Leibowitz appears before the Supreme Court of the United States, describing the lack of African-American presence on juries in Jackson County. He also shows the Supreme Court justices the jury rolls with forged names. April 1:In the case of Norris v. Alabama, the United States Supreme Court decides that the exclusion of African-Americans on jury rolls did not prote…
1936
- January 23:Patterson is retried. He is found guilty and sentenced to 75 years in prison. This sentence was a negotiation between the foreman and the rest of the jury. January 24:Ozie Powell pulls a knife and slashes a police officer's throat while being transported to Birmingham Jail. Another police official shoots Powell in the head. Both the police officer and Powell survive. Dec…
1937
- May: Thomas Knight, a justice on the Alabama Supreme Court, dies. June 14: Patterson's conviction is upheld by the Alabama Supreme Court. July 12 - 16:Norris is sentenced to death during his third trial. As a result of the pressure of the case, Watts becomes sick, causing Leibowitz to steer the defense. July 20 - 21:Andy Wright's is convicted and s...
1938
- June:The sentences given to Norris, Andy Wright, and Weems are affirmed by the Alabama Supreme Court. July:Norris' death sentence is commuted to life imprisonment by Governor Graves. August: A denial of paroleis recommended for Patterson and Powell by an Alabama parole board. October:A denial of parole is also recommended for Norris, Weems, and Andy Wrig…
1944
- January:Andy Wright and Clarence Norris are released on parole. September:Wright and Norris leave Alabama. This is considered a violation of their parole. Norris returns to jail in October 1944 and Wright in October 1946.
1950
- June 9:Andy Wright is released on parole and finds a job in New York. June:Patterson is caught and arrested by the FBI in Detroit. However, G. Mennen Williams, governor of Michigan does not extradite Patterson to Alabama. Alabama does not continue its attempts to return Patterson to prison. December:Patterson is charged with murder after a fight in a bar.