Essay On Scottsboro Boys Trial

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Innocent Conviction The Scottsboro Boys Trial was one of the most controversial and shocking trials in American history.The Scottsboro Boys Trial was about nine African American boys who were accused for the sexual assault of two white young women, Ruby Bates and Victoria Price. The trial ended with the nine boys sentenced to prison and death.This trial showed how unjustly African Americans were treated. Though this wasn’t fair, it was how society ran back then. White people were seen as superior over blacks. Racial discrimination in society, the jury, and people involved during 1930’s Alabama affected the Scottsboro Boys Trial. Alabama during the 1930’s was heavily immersed in racism. The trial was whites accusing blacks of sexual assault, something common in those days. In the PBS article it states,“ The women who had had sexual relations with some of the white men thrown off the train and fearing prosecution for their sexual activity with the white men agreed to testify against the black youths”(www.pbs.org).White people were very bias towards blacks. The accusation of the nine black youths was a cover up for the …show more content…
People participating in the trial affected the longevity of the trial. The PBS timeline reports“[On April 6, 1933] Ruby Bates appears as a surprise witness for the defense,denying that any rape occurred and testifying that she was with Victoria Price for the whole train ride”(pbs.org). Ruby Bates stated that no rape occurred but, the deputies forced Ruby Bates to testify against the black youths. According to the article it states,“Although there was no evidence connecting the youth to the women, the nine youths were charged with raping the women”(pbs.org). Medical evidence that proved the boy's innocence was denied and proving that it was their boyfriends not the youths. Their boyfriends still pressured them to testify to hide their wrongdoing,even though they were the guilty

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