The Scottsboro Trials
Jon Brand, Maddie Lautzenheiser, and Logan Metzgar
A Brief Timeline
On March 25, 1931 - Nine black teenagers were arrested on charges of
assault, they also had rape charges added after being accused of allegedly
raping two white females.
March 30,1931 - All of the boys are indicted of rape
June 22, 1931 - Talk of executions being the penalty if found guilty
November of 1932 - The trials in Alabama are overruled by the Supreme
court due to a violation of the due process clause of the 14th Amendment
A Brief Timeline
1932 to 1935 - Twice more the Supreme Court overrules some of the
Scottsboro cases
July 5, 1938 - The final sentencing dealing with the Scottsboro boys is
reached
April 19, 2013 (82 years after the first incident) - Although all of the
Scottsboro Boys have since died the Governor of Alabama signed
legislation officially pardoning and exonerating all nine Scottsboro Boys
Exonerate- to free or clear one from accusation or blame
The Events
Eight of the nine men were convicted by all white juries, Roy white was the only
one who was too young for the death penalty.
Convictions
In 1937 Haywood Patterson, Charlie Weems, and Andy Wright, along with
defendant Clarence Norris were convicted on rape charges, after a six year
ordeal that included three trials.
Haywood was tried four times before the final verdict was reached.
The Trial
The Alabama board of pardons and paroles granted full and unconditional
pardons to three of the nine black teenage men.
The Alabama legislature unanimously passed a law to allow the parole board
to issue posthumous pardons for convictions at least 80 years old, the law
was designed to allow the Scottsboro pardon to go forward.
After the trials
Most of the Scottsboro boys vanished after their release from prison. Haywood
Patterson died of cancer in 1952, and many of the other defendants, including
Weems, and Wright moved out of Alabama and managed to keep a low profile.
Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbNRrsz6uTM
Work Cited
Advertiser, Brian. "Alabama Grants Posthumous Pardons to Scottsboro Boys." USA Today. Gannett, 21 Nov. 2013.
Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
"Alabama Pardons 3 ‘Scottsboro Boys’ After 80 Years." The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Nov. 2013.
Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
Everett. "Advertiser, Brian. "Alabama Grants Posthumous Pardons to Scottsboro Boys." USA Today. Gannett, 21
Nov. 2013. Web. 8 Nov. 2015." Scottsboro Boys. Fine Art America, 20 Jan. 2013. Web. 8 Nov. 2015. Blinder,
Alan.
"Scottsboro Boys." To Kill A Mockingbird Project. Weebly. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus. New Revised Updated ed. Vol. I. Nichols Group, 1999. 283. Print.
Wormser, Richard. "The Scottsboro Case." PBS. PBS, 2002. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.