Scottsboro Boys Research Paper

Throughout American history, there have been many problems. Racism and slavery are two of those problems. Racism and slavery have existed ever since our nation was started and have created countless stereotypes about African American men. One stereotype, which began during the times of slavery, was that every black man wanted to rape a white woman. That racist stereotype continued long after the civil war had taken place. For example, in 1931 a group of young African American men was accused of rape. These young men were called the Scottsboro boys. This case had a big impact on American history. The case caused American's to look at the racist views they held since times of slavery. Although the case created extreme conflict, it ultimately
helped the blacks and whites unite and fight together. Through the case of the Scottsboro boys, America became more aware of the impact that racism has on our country.

The Scottsboro boys were 9 African American teenagers, the youngest being only 12 years old.
One day, the boys were riding a train. Some white teenagers, who were also on the train, accused the Scottsborro boys of beating them and kicking them off of the train. When the police arrived to investigate, 2 white girls riding on the train accused the boys of raping them. Some of the Scottsboro boys admitted to fighting with the white boys. Contrarily, there lacked evidence that the boys had raped the 2 girls. Medical evidence suggested no rapes had taken place. Despite evidence that no rapes had occurred, all 9 boys were incarcerated. In fact all of the boys except for the youngest (a 12 year old named Roy Wright) were convicted of rape and sentenced to death. The case was appealed. The Scottsboro boys endured 4 trials that spanned a decade. During the trials, the boys were denied impartial juries, appropriate legal counsel, fair trails, and fair sentencing. Following the first trial, Samuel Leibowitz (who was a well known lawyer) defended the boys. Four of the 9 boys were freed after enduring 6 years in prison. Eventually, all of the boys except for 1 were
paroled.

The Scottsboro trials heightened both the nation's and the world's emotions because of the racism involved.
The trials were well publicized. The majority of the world, in fact, heard about the trials through the radio or through newspapers. Many people were angered because they didn't think the Scottsboro boys had a fair trial. It seemed obvious that racism was involved in the decisions of the trials. For instance, the first three trials involved juries made entirely of white people. No colored people were ever on the jury even though that violated the Fourteenth Amendment. During the fourth trial, the boys' lawyer made sure the jury was composed of people of both races. That trial had the most success and 4 of the boys got out. The rest remained in jail and got out later.

In addition to the instances of racism, the northern and southern states felt contention against each other. The southern states felt like they were judged by the northern states. The south thought the north should stay out of their business and out of the trial. Every time there was a new trial, Alabama got angrier and became even more reluctant to let the boys out of jail. The trials also rekindled resentment from the civil
war.

Overall, the Scottsboro trials helped the United States bring whites and blacks together. The whites that thought that the Scottsboro boys should be released joined with the blacks and they both fought to get them out. The people that were trying to get them out were the ones that really helped bring the whites and blacks together. They were one of the first groups to actually let the blacks protest with them. They also hired one of the best lawyers to defend the Scottsboro boys. Subsequently, the boys and their parents trusted those who were actually helping them. Thereafter, the whole country was brought together and African Americans began to get more respect.

The Scottsboro incident helped bring the whole country together because it helped people realize the negative effects racism. As our nation watched 9 seemingly innocent boys endure unfair trials, many people felt a desire to change racist stereotypes. Both blacks and whites united together to make those changes. There are many events in U.S. history that made a big impact on our country. The Scottsboro incident is one of those important events.