2/28 Blog Post

The two readings today dealt with the Scottsboro Boys - nine African American teenagers who were falsely accused of raping two white woman while aboard a train in 1931. This case was very controversial at the time. All but eight of the boys were sentenced to death, as it was common for death to be given to African Americans who allegedly “raped” white woman. 12 year old Roy Wright was the only one to receive life in prison, because one judge wished it. Everyone else wanted Wright to be sentenced to death with the rest. However, one judge believed that he should live. The Scottsboro boys case exemplifies the hysteria of American culture at the time. These 9 boys lives’ were ruined the moment they stop foot off of the trains. This case separated the country, with the North supporting and the South resisting. The juries were all white which enforces the lack of justice the country gave these boys. A mere accusation was enough to put an end to these young men's lives. The hypocrisy and blindness of the Southern whites was unbelievable. Victoria Price, one of the rape accusers, said that one of the black men had a gun and a knife. Also, another white woman, Ruby Bates claimed that the men had raped her while onboard. After a medical examination, the woman have indeed had sex but they were not raped. It was also found four of these nine boys actually knew each other before the accusations. I personally find it astonishing, that a case could make such a ripple in this democracy, just because the defendants were black. It makes me wonder what American society really was like back then - without computers or phones. How did the Southern people stand for such blasphemy?  

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