What Was The Scottsboro Trial Of 1931

Ever thought about the rough path that was created in order to establish equality amongst the blacks and whites? Or all the people who were accused of unjustly due to racial prejudice? The Scottsboro trial of 1931 showed not only the racial prejudice against African Americans, but also showed the changing attitude that occurred from the nation’s reaction to such a trial, providing an opportunity for change. 1931, a time filled with racial discrimination, began the unfortunate circumstance for nine African Americans. On March 25th of that year, four African American male teenagers, Haywood Patterson, Eugene Williams, and Ray and Andy Wright, headed to Southern Alabama in search of work. On the same train were white passengers, including two white teenage females, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates. The trouble started when a white male stepped on Patterson's hand which then escalated into a fight between a couple of white male teenagers and nine African American males, (the additional five included Ozie
At the first trial. All but the youngest were found guilty and received death sentences. (Kaplan, Scottsboro) There we see extreme prejudice by the court based on the lies of the white females and no evidence for the rape of ever occurring. Since the defendants did not have proper access to a legal counsel, a retrial was called for. In the second trial, Ruby Bates told truth, denying the rape, but leaving the African Americans still guilty. The sentence, however, was a death sentence for one of the nine boys and the rest received seventy-five to ninety-nine years in prison. Again, there was no evidence, just the words of a white female. In 1995 though, the judge ordered a new trial based on the fact that there were no African Americans who sat on the grand or trial juries (Kaplan,