Around the time of the Civil Rights Movement, racism was prominent. Many blacks were faced with discrimination and inequality. Racism is shown brilliantly in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird and the famous trials of the “Scottsboro Boys”. In the Scottsboro trials, nine black boys were accused and found guilty of raping two white women. Similarities are proven to be seen in both trials between the attitudes and backgrounds of the characters. However, the physical evidence in one trial is stronger than the other trial’s evidence. The events introducing the Scottsboro case began on March 25, 1931. A group of white and black young boys were riding the Southern Railroad’s Chattanooga to Memphis freight (Linder, “The Trial of the
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Though the two victims, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates, displayed signs of having had sexual intercourse, there was no evidence of being hurt physically (Horne 24). Mayella, on the other hand, displayed signs of being hurt physically, though she wasn’t examined by a doctor in order to know if she was raped or not. A witness clarified that Mayella “... ... was beaten around the head” (Lee 224) and that “there were already bruises [coming] on her arms …” (Lee 224). The narrator also hinted that, “if her right eye was blacked and she was beaten mostly on the right side of the face, it would tend to show that a left-handed person did it” (Lee 238). This key evidence, that the Scottsboro case didn’t obtain, provided evidence of Mayella’s attacker and supported Tom’s innocence. The accusations on the Scottsboro boys and Tom Robinson were also debatable due to key evidence of being physically incapable. Significantly, one of the Scottsboro boys, Willie Robinson, proved to be incapable of raping either Ruby or Victoria due to him having been sick with a disease on the day of the alleged rape (Horne 12). Tom’s left arm, as it was mentioned in the book, “... … … was fully twelve inches shorter than his right and hung dead at his side” (Lee 248). The disability Tom had proved him incapable of being able to hurt
Though the two victims, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates, displayed signs of having had sexual intercourse, there was no evidence of being hurt physically (Horne 24). Mayella, on the other hand, displayed signs of being hurt physically, though she wasn’t examined by a doctor in order to know if she was raped or not. A witness clarified that Mayella “... ... was beaten around the head” (Lee 224) and that “there were already bruises [coming] on her arms …” (Lee 224). The narrator also hinted that, “if her right eye was blacked and she was beaten mostly on the right side of the face, it would tend to show that a left-handed person did it” (Lee 238). This key evidence, that the Scottsboro case didn’t obtain, provided evidence of Mayella’s attacker and supported Tom’s innocence. The accusations on the Scottsboro boys and Tom Robinson were also debatable due to key evidence of being physically incapable. Significantly, one of the Scottsboro boys, Willie Robinson, proved to be incapable of raping either Ruby or Victoria due to him having been sick with a disease on the day of the alleged rape (Horne 12). Tom’s left arm, as it was mentioned in the book, “... … … was fully twelve inches shorter than his right and hung dead at his side” (Lee 248). The disability Tom had proved him incapable of being able to hurt