The Scottsboro Trials, Brown v. Mississippi, and trial of Tom Robinson

The Scottsboro Trials, Brown v. Mississippi, and trial of Tom Robinson in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird The purpose of this essay is to compare three very similar cases, the Scottsboro Trials, Brown v. Mississippi, and the fictional trial of Tom Robinson in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird; and to prove why the defendant of the third trial never had a chance. Each took place in the rural South in the 1920’s and 30’s and involved the unfair conviction of young black males by all-white juries pressured by the threat of mob violence. Each lacked the evidence sufficient for conviction, most especially for the death penalty. Last, heroes emerged from each trial and made small but solid steps towards equal justice for all. â€Å"ROOSEVELT IS ASKED TO INTERVENE TO PROTECT SCOTTSBORO NEGROES: Warning of 'Massacre' of Seven Prisoners and Their Lawyers at Decatur (Ala.) Court Today, Defense Counsel Wire President a Plea to Obtain State Troops† (Linder), reads a headline from the New York Times on November 20, 1933. The nine Scottsboro boys accused of rape and their attorneys were scared to death, but the government did not seem to acknowledge their danger. The article also mentions Patterson’s previous trial where â€Å"Circuit Judge Horton, presiding, took judicial notice of incipient mob action to lynch defendants and attorneys by ordering soldiers in open court to shoot if necessary to preserve the peace† (Linder). On March 25, 1931, Victoria Price, a known prostitute, and Ruby Bates accused nine Negroes of raping them on a train in Northern Alabama. The trial took place in Scottsboro, amid much anti-black sentiment. An all white jury sentenced eight of the nine to death, despite the fact that one was blind and one could... ... about an ordinary hero, someone who merely did his job, and stood up to adversity, despite the cost to his career, himself and his family. These should not have been exceptional tasks, but the society that surrounded them caused them to stand out. Guilty or innocent, the Negro man did not stand a chance in the Depression Era rural South. Works Cited Cortner, Richard C. A â€Å"Scottsboro† Case in Mississippi. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 1986. Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. New York: Time Warner, 1982. Linder, Douglas O. The Later Scottsboro Trials (1933-1937). 9 March 2002 To Kill a Mockingbird: Then and Now. 31 July 1997. Think Quest. 10 March 2002 The Scottsboro Trials, Brown v. Mississippi, and trial of Tom Robinson The Scottsboro Trials, Brown v. Mississippi, and trial of Tom Robinson in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird The purpose of this essay is to compare three very similar cases, the Scottsboro Trials, Brown v. Mississippi, and the fictional trial of Tom Robinson in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird; and to prove why the defendant of the third trial never had a chance. Each took place in the rural South in the 1920’s and 30’s and involved the unfair conviction of young black males by all-white juries pressured by the threat of mob violence. Each lacked the evidence sufficient for conviction, most especially for the death penalty. Last, heroes emerged from each trial and made small but solid steps towards equal justice for all. â€Å"ROOSEVELT IS ASKED TO INTERVENE TO PROTECT SCOTTSBORO NEGROES: Warning of 'Massacre' of Seven Prisoners and Their Lawyers at Decatur (Ala.) Court Today, Defense Counsel Wire President a Plea to Obtain State Troops† (Linder), reads a headline from the New York Times on November 20, 1933. The nine Scottsboro boys accused of rape and their attorneys were scared to death, but the government did not seem to acknowledge their danger. The article also mentions Patterson’s previous trial where â€Å"Circuit Judge Horton, presiding, took judicial notice of incipient mob action to lynch defendants and attorneys by ordering soldiers in open court to shoot if necessary to preserve the peace† (Linder). On March 25, 1931, Victoria Price, a known prostitute, and Ruby Bates accused nine Negroes of raping them on a train in Northern Alabama. The trial took place in Scottsboro, amid much anti-black sentiment. An all white jury sentenced eight of the nine to death, despite the fact that one was blind and one could... ... about an ordinary hero, someone who merely did his job, and stood up to adversity, despite the cost to his career, himself and his family. These should not have been exceptional tasks, but the society that surrounded them caused them to stand out. Guilty or innocent, the Negro man did not stand a chance in the Depression Era rural South. Works Cited Cortner, Richard C. A â€Å"Scottsboro† Case in Mississippi. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 1986. Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. New York: Time Warner, 1982. Linder, Douglas O. The Later Scottsboro Trials (1933-1937). 9 March 2002 To Kill a Mockingbird: Then and Now. 31 July 1997. Think Quest. 10 March 2002