Scottsboro+Boys

=Scottsboro Boys:=

The [|Scottsboro Boys] was a case that involevd nine Afrian American boys that live in Alabama back in 1931. Till this day it still remains one of the most famous examples of racial injustice in the United States. (1). They were sentenced to death for raping two young white women rail-riders; Ruby Bates, 21 years of age and Victoria Price, 17 years of age on March25,1931. At this time a black man raping a white women was the most serious offense imaginale under Jim Cow. The police aressted the nine boys Olen Montgomery, Clarence Norris, Haywood Patterson, Ozie Powell, Willie Roberson, Charlie Weems, Eugene Williams, and brothers Andrew and Leroy (Roy) Wright, were sent to Scottsboro Alabama. The two women both agreed that they would testify rape against the nine boys.

The trial began in April of that year. The jury was made up of all white jury memebers and even though they had very little evidance; sentence death of the eletric chair too eight of the nine boys. The ninth was only 13 years old so they sentenced him too recieve life in prison. The trail had recieved large amounts of national attention due to the fact that the trial showed unfairness and had extreme harsh punishment. The United States Communist Party, International Labor Defense (ILD), stepped in to gain the trust of the nine boys and their families. ILD coulld involved in the case trying to defend the boys; the trial had continued on and off for four years. They did everything under the sun to try and free these men from the crime that they were falsing accused of (Scottsboro Boys Video).

On November 1943 Charlie Weems was the first to be set free. January 1944 Anderw Wright and Clarence Norris were the next to be set free, both men fled the state after being released. End of 1946 Ozie Powell was released. In 1948 Haywood Patterson escaped and ran off to Michigan, were he gain premant freedom. Leroy Wright was the last of the men to be set free.