The Sacco-Vanzetti Trial

The Sacco-Vanzetti affair is the most famous and controversial case in American legal history. In our history, justice has not always resulted in fairness, but instead in the denial of the rights of ordinary citizens. In the 1920's, a tumultuous decade of social unrest, numerous Americans were discriminated against for their political or religious beliefs and ethnicity. It was a decade of intense nationalism, in which the rights of immigrants were violated in such events as the Red Scare and Palmer Raids. In May of 1920, the infamous trial and conviction of Italian immigrants Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti began. Since this time, there has been much controversy as to their guilt. Could they have truly received a just trial in such
In examining the events of the Sacco and Vanzetti trial, we found not only the undertones of the social issues of the 1920's, but also a major flaw in our American judicial process. We have not hoped to prove the guilt or innocence of Sacco and Vanzetti, but rather to show that these men did not receive a trial based on impartiality and criminal facts alone. It was a trial, instead, of bias, political beliefs, and circumstantial evidence elevated only by playing on the inherent social prejudices of a jury of white American men. The controversy surrounding their innocence will undoubtedly continue throughout the centuries, but the near indisputable fact remains that Sacco and Vanzetti did not receive a fair trial and that racial prejudices can permeate our societal structures to an unfortunate end. The ease with which it entered this infamous trial is reason enough to examine our current system and be aware of its weaknesses. The Sacco-Vanzetti case is proof that justice is often not blind, but instead is a very seeing participant in our systems and our