"[79] At one point, Knight demanded, "You were tried at Scottsboro?" He denied seeing the white women before Paint Rock. [21][22] Local circuit judge Alfred E. Hawkins[23] found that the crowd was curious and not hostile. He was sentenced to 20 years. Alice George, Ph.D. is an independent historian with a special interest in America during the 1960s. [61] The locals resented his questioning of the official and "chewed their tobacco meditatively. The Scottsboro Boys were nine African American teenagers and young men, ages 13 to 20, accused in Alabama of raping two white women in 1931. The Scottsboro Nine were Haywood Patterson, Olen Montgomery, Clarence Norris, Willie Roberson, Andy Wright, Ozzie Powell, Eugene Williams, Charley Weems, and Roy Wright. . Nov. 21, 2013. It is commonly cited as an example of a legal injustice in the United States legal system. All the jurors agreed on his guilt, but seven insisted on the death sentence while five held out for life imprisonment (in cases like this, that was often an indication that the jurors believed the suspect was innocent but they were unwilling to go against community norms of conviction). He was paroled and returned to prison after violating parole. He was reported to have died not long after his release due to tuberculosis. The Supreme Court sent the case back to Judge Hawkins for a retrial. Andy Wright, Eugene Williams, and Haywood Patterson testified that they had previously known each other, but had not seen the women until the train stopped in Paint Rock. How do you think this affected the outcome of their trial? This recantation seemed to be a severe blow to the prosecution. Weems, who was tear-gassed and stabbed in prison and contracted tuberculosis, was paroled in 1943. Callahan sustained a prosecution objection, ruling "the question is not based on the evidence."[115]. Nine black youths on the train were arrested and charged with the crime. The remaining "Scottsboro Boys" in custody, that of Norris, A Wright and Weems were at this time in Kilby Prison. "[71], Leibowitz systematically dismantled each prosecution witness' story under cross-examination. [69] Some wondered if there was any way he could leave Decatur alive. On cross-examination he testified that he had seen "all but three of those negroes ravish that girl", but then changed his story. Eight of the nine young men were convicted and sentenced to death by an all white jury. What you have is a tale of convenience thats told because people of two races are found socializing together in the rural South, and thats the only way that Jim Crow society can justify or explain whats going on, says Paul Gardullo, a curator at the Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture. Not until the first day of the trial were the defendants provided with the services of two volunteer lawyers. Nor was she the first witness who tried to stare him down and, failing that, who seemed as if she were about to leap out of her seat and strike him. He claimed also to have been on top of the boxcar, and that Clarence Norris had a knife. [62] (Note: Since most blacks could not vote after having been disenfranchised by the Alabama constitution, the local jury commissioners probably never thought about them as potential jurors, who were limited to voters. I want you to know that. For a second time in April 1935, the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in. Both were from poor families who lived in a racially mixed section of town in Huntsville, Alabama. Clarence Norris was the only defendant finally sentenced to death. While appeals were filed, the Alabama Supreme Court issued indefinite stays of executions 72 hours before the defendants were scheduled to die. [114], Dr. Bridges was a state witness, and Leibowitz cross-examined him at length, trying to get him to agree that a rape would have produced more injuries than he found. Andrew Wright, when freed in 1943, fled Alabama and was taken back to prison, where he remained until May 1950. ", Ruby Bates was apparently too sick to travel. The jury found the defendants guilty, but the judge set aside the verdict and granted a new trial. Later, she worked in a New York state spinning factory until 1938; that year she returned to Huntsville. The four had spent over six years in prison on death row, as "adults" despite their ages. In the same election, Thomas Knight was elected Lieutenant Governor of Alabama.[112]. Privacy Statement Leibowitz recognized that he was viewed by Southerners as an outsider, and allowed the local attorney Charles Watts to be the lead attorney; he assisted from the sidelines. Several defendants had difficulty reclaiming their lives after their ordeal. Mary Stanton The staff of District 17 consisted of young Communist-trained organizers, mostly white and many from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Boston. [63] The judge abruptly interrupted Leibowitz.[64]. During the Decatur retrial, held from November 1933 to July 1937, Judge Callahan wanted to take the case off "the front pages of America's newspapers. [94], Leibowitz led Commissioner Moody and Jackson County Circuit Clerk C.A. "[81], Leibowitz objected and moved for a new trial. "[61] He called local jury commissioners to explain the absence of African-Americans from Jackson County juries. Later, Wright served in the army and joined the merchant marine. [citation needed], There was no evidence (beyond the women's testimony) pointing to the guilt of the accused, yet that was irrelevant due to the prevalent racism in the South at the time, according to which black men were constantly being policed by white men for signs of sexual interest in white women, which could be punishable by lynching. The case of the Scottsboro Boys, which lasted more than 80 years, helped to spur the Civil Rights Movement. Chamlee was joined by Communist Party attorney Joseph Brodsky and ILD attorney Irving Schwab. As to the "newly discovered evidence", the Court ruled: "There is no contention on the part of the defendants, that they had sexual intercourse with the alleged victim with her consent so the defendants would not be granted a new trial."[53]. . He remained in contact with Montgomery throughout the years. The only drama came when Knight pulled a torn pair of step-ins from his briefcase and tossed them into the lap of a juror to support the claim of rape. . The ILD retained Walter Pollak[57] to handle the appeal. Judge Callahan repeatedly interrupted Leibowitz's cross-examination of Price, calling defense questions "arguing with the witness", "immaterial, "useless", "a waste of time" and even "illegal. Victoria Price testified that six of the black youths raped her, and six raped Ruby Bates. The case was first heard in Scottsboro, Alabama, in three rushed trials, in which the defendants received poor legal representation. "[66] Leibowitz later conceded that Price was "one of the toughest witnesses he ever cross examined. In a landmark decision, the United States Supreme Court reversed the convictions on the ground that the due process clause of the United States Constitution guarantees the effective assistance of counsel at a criminal trial. [citation needed], Defendant Clarence Norris stunned the courtroom by implicating the other defendants. "[87], The defense moved for a retrial and, believing the defendants innocent, Judge James Edwin Horton agreed to set aside the guilty verdict for Patterson. On March 25, 1931, two dozen people were "hoboing" on a freight train traveling between Chattanooga and Memphis, Tennessee, the hoboes being an equal mix of blacks and whites. Black Americans in Alabama had been disenfranchised since the late 19th century and were therefore not allowed on juries, which were limited to voters. She often replied, "I can't remember" or "I won't say." The indictment could be made with a two-thirds vote, and the grand jury voted to indict the defendants. His case went to the jury at nine that evening. Your Privacy Rights "[35], The younger Wright brother testified that Patterson was not involved with the girls, but that nine black teenagers had sex with the girls. [30][31] The celebration was so loud that it was most likely heard by the second jury waiting inside. The defense objected vigorously, but the Court allowed it.[42]. More than 2,000 people were . My, my, my. The trials consumed just four days. The parallels to todaywhether they are parallels of injustice (such as police brutality, institutional racism within the . [citation needed], During closing, the prosecution said, "If you don't give these men death sentences, the electric chair might as well be abolished. 16pf scoring and interpretation An African American, Creed Conyer, was selected as the first black person since Reconstruction to sit on an Alabama grand jury. When the case, by now a cause celebre, came back to Judge Hawkins, he granted the request for a change of venue. The journey through the judicial system of nine defendants included more trials, retrials, convictions and reversals than any other case in U.S. history, and it generated two groundbreaking U.S. Supreme Court cases. When the train stopped at Scottsboro. On July 24, 1937, Ozie Powell was taken into court and the new prosecutor, Thomas Lawson, announced that the state was dropping rape charges against Powell and that he was pleading guilty to assaulting a deputy. When asked if she had been raped on March 25, 1931, Bates said, "No sir." After the first trial, the American Communist Party jumped into the case, seeing it as an opportunity to win over minority populations and to highlight inequities in American culture. He later had a career in the. On April 9, 1931, eight of the nine young men were convicted and sentenced to death. "[90] He banned photographers from the courthouse grounds and typewriters from his courtroom. [68], Price was not the first hardened witness [Leibowitz] had faced, and certainly not the most depraved. Posse member Tom Rousseau claimed to have seen the women and youths get off the same car but under cross-examination admitted finding the defendants scattered in various cars at the front of the train. He denied participating in the fight or being in the gondola car where the fight took place. [91] He removed protection from the defense, convincing Governor Benjamin Meek Miller to keep the National Guard away. The Scottsboro Nines ordeal, with its mixture of human tragedy and horrific discrimination, captured the imaginations of writers, musicians and artists. He did not, and this insult eventually caused Leibowitz to leap to his feet saying, "Now listen, Mr. Attorney-General, I've warned you twice about your treatment of my witness. Scottsboro Trials. I appreciate the Pardons and Parole Board for continuing our progress today and officially granting these pardons. 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. [88], Judge Horton heard arguments on the motion for a new trial in the Limestone County Court House in Athens, Alabama, where he read his decision to the astonished defense and a furious Knight: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}. [citation needed], The pace of the trials was very fast before the standing-room-only, all-white audience. [97] She said the negros had ripped her clothes off and repeatedly raped her at knifepoint, and pointed out Patterson as one of the rapists. Andy Wright was convicted and sentenced to 99 years. In an opinion written by Associate Justice George Sutherland, the Court found the defendants had been denied effective counsel. [32], After the outburst, the defense of Patterson moved for a mistrial, but Judge Hawkins denied the motion and testimony continued. They said the problem was with the way Judge Hawkins "immediately hurried to trial. When she responded that the Communist Party had paid for her clothes, any credibility she had with the jury was destroyed. The Alabama Supreme Court granted 13-year-old Eugene Williams a new trial because he was a juvenile, which saved him from the immediate threat of the electric chair. Judge Callahan arraigned all the defendants except the two juveniles in Decatur; they all pleaded not guilty. The Scottsboro trials were a short time period of great racial inequality, and a lot of this inequality can be seen in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. In 2013, the state of Alabama issued posthumous pardons for Patterson, Weems, and Andy Wright. He testified that he had been on the train on the morning of the arrests. [80], With his eye turned to the southern jury, Knight cross-examined her. A group of white teenage boys saw 18-year-old Haywood Patterson on the train and attempted to push him off, claiming that it was "a white man's train". were the scottsboro 9 killed. Other artifacts in the African American History Museum include protest buttons and posters used as part of their defense. Historical Context Essay: The "Scottsboro Boys" Trials Although To Kill a Mockingbird is a work of fiction, the rape trial of Tom Robinson at the center of the plot is based on several real trials of Black men accused of violent crimes that took place during the years before Lee wrote her book. It is speculated that after Roy's death, Andy returned to his hometown of Chattanooga to be with his mother Ada Wright. Q. It was one of the most important cases in American history that had . At that time, under those circumstances, what followednine youths being wrongfully convicted of rapewas among one of the first times the world got to see what happened when African Americans encountered the criminal justice system. Two young white women were also taken to the jail, where they accused the African-American teenagers of rape. default constructor python. In June 1931, the youths won a stay of execution while the partys legal armthe International Labor Defenseappealed the verdict. The Scottsboro Boys were nine African American teenagers who were falsely accused of raping two white women on a train in Alabama in 1931. "[85], The jury began deliberating Saturday afternoon and announced it had a verdict at ten the next morning, while many residents of Decatur were in church. Leibowitz called John Sanford, an African-American of Scottsboro, who was educated, well-spoken, and respected. "[65] The National Guard posted five men with fixed bayonets in front of Leibowitz's residence that night. The Scottsboro Trials were among the most infamous episodes of legal injustice in the Jim Crow South. 17 agencies are on the scene, some with search and rescue boats. [67], Price insisted that she had spent the evening before the alleged rape at the home of Mrs. Callie Brochie in Chattanooga. . The Accusers. The young black men served a combined total of 130 years for a crime they never committed. When a few of the white youth who were thrown from the train complained to a station master, the train was stopped in Paint Rock, Alabama. Two men escaped, were later charged with other crimes and convicted, and sent back to prison. Judge Callahan cautioned Leibowitz he would not permit "such tactics" in his courtroom. James A. Miller, Susan D. Pennybacker, and Eve Rosenhaft, "Mother Ada Wright and the International Campaign to Free the Scottsboro Boys, 19311934", Markovitz, Jonathan (2011). Ozie Powell said that while he was not a participant, he had seen the fight with the white teenagers from his vantage point between a boxcar and a gondola car, where he had been hanging on. But he said that the defense attorney Joseph Brodsky had paid his rent and bought him a new suit for the trial. Get the latest information about timed passes and tips for planning your visit, Search the collection and explore our exhibitions, centers, and digital initiatives, Online resources for educators, students, and families, Engage with us and support the Museum from wherever you are, Find our upcoming and past public and educational programs, Learn more about the Museum and view recent news, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Five You Should Know: Black Actresses Who Refused to Be Typecast, Five Trailblazers You Should Know: Pride Edition, National Museum of African American History & Culture. He later instructed the jury in the next round of trials that no white woman would voluntarily have sex with a black man.[89]. After this initial verdict, protests emerged in the north, leading to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the convictions in 1932, in Powell v. State of Alabama. The next prosecution witnesses testified that Roberson had run over train cars leaping from one to another and that he was in much better shape than he claimed. [40] There was no uproar at the announcement. Ruby Bates toured for a short while as an ILD speaker. In Powell v. Alabama (1932), the Court ordered new trials.[3]. Although rape was potentially a capital offense in Alabama, the defendants at this point were not allowed to consult an attorney. "[3] This conclusion did not find the Scottsboro defendants innocent but ruled that the procedures violated their rights to due process under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. Seven people were taken to the hospital in stable condition as well. "[99] The many contradictions notwithstanding, Price steadfastly stuck to her testimony that Patterson had raped her. When the jury returned its verdict from the first trial, the jury from the second trial was taken out of the courtroom. Knight countered that there had been no mob atmosphere at the trial, and pointed to the finding by the Alabama Supreme Court that the trial had been fair and representation "able." [64] Now, two guardsmen with bayonets opened the courtroom doors, and Bates entered, "in stylish clothes, eyes downcast. The ninth defendant, a frustrated Leroy Wright, rejected a request to pose. Harry Emerson Fosdick of that city. Willie Roberson testified that he was suffering from syphilis, with sores that prevented him from walking, and that he was in a car at the back of the train. If they believed her, that was enough to convict. His family planned on him going to Seminary school, but whether this happened is not certain. Did brother Hill frame them? All but two of these served prison sentences; all were released or escaped by 1946. There were few African Americans in the jury pool, as most had been disenfranchised since the turn of the century by a new state constitution and white discriminatory practice, and were thus disqualified from jury service. What you can do now is to make sure that it doesn't happen to some other woman." The trial of the youngest, 13-year-old Leroy. March 16, 2022. He had never lost a murder trial and was a registered Democrat, with no connection to the Communist Party. Only four of the young African American men knew each other prior to the incident on the freight train, but as the trials drew increasing regional and national attention they became known as the Scottsboro Boys. When the US Supreme Court agreed to hear the case in 1977, Price disregarded the advice of her lawyer and accepted a settlement from NBC. Knight agreed that it was an appeal to passion, and Callahan overruled the motion. Later, the National Guard was summoned to disperse a violent crowd of vigilantes surrounding the jail. Alabama - The Heart of Dixie, with the the second-largest inland waterway system in the U.S., and growing populations and industryAlabama is the 30th-most extensive and the 23rd-most populous of the 50 United States. Knight continued, "We all have a passion, all men in this courtroom to protect the womanhood in Alabama. Callahan would not allow Leibowitz to ask Price about any "crime of moral turpitude." The jury found the defendant guilty of rape and sentenced Patterson to death in the electric chair. [55], Anderson criticized how the defendants were represented. Nine young Black men and four whytes were taken into custody. The issue of the composition of the jury was addressed in a second landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that race could not be used to exclude anyone from candidacy for participation on a jury anywhere in the United States. By the time the train reached Paint Rock, Alabama, the Scottsboro Boys were met with an angry mob and charged with assault. Soon a lynch mob gathered at the jail in Scottsboro, demanding the youths be surrendered to them. In 1936 one of the "boys", Ozzie Powell, was shot in the face and permanently disabled during an altercation with a sheriff's deputy in prison. At 1,300 miles, Alabama has one of the longest navigable inland waterways in the entire nation.The largest cities by population in Alabama are Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile . (Apparently because of this ruling, Horton was voted out of office the following year.) This is bad for the accused as racism was at an all-time in the 1930s especially in the deep south. [30], The trial for Haywood Patterson occurred while the Norris and Weems cases were still under consideration by the jury. Watts moved to have the case sent to the Federal Court as a civil rights case, which Callahan promptly denied. [127], By January 23, 1936, Haywood Patterson was convicted of rape and sentenced to 75 yearsthe first time in Alabama that a black man had not been sentenced to death in the rape of a white woman.[2]. But through Scottsboro we find that Americas tortured racial past is not so past. "[101] Gilley testified to meeting Lester Carter and the women the evening before the alleged rapes and getting them coffee and sandwiches. The charges were later revealed as a sham, and the case gained notice worldwide. [120], The case went to the United States Supreme Court for a second time as Norris v. Alabama.