1931+Scottsboro+Boys+Trial

Home TIMELINE TOPICS ASSIGNMENT: Who Is A Person In America?

Scottsboro Boys Trial Lexie M.

Write a journal/newspaper style article in which you take a neutral stance (as a reporter) and give the facts about the actual event. What led up to the event? What happened during the actual event? Did it have an “end” or is it unresolved? You are to write about this event __when it happened__, you are assuming the role of a reporter in 1850, 1920, etc., __not someone looking back from 2011__. You need to cite your sources, and they must include information only available during that time period. At least one source must be primary and/or an eyewitness account. **Important - This work will be submitted to TurnItIn.com. We will provide you information about using this helpful resource**!
 * [[image:buchholtzsidoramericanstudies/Scottsboro_Boys_Trial.jpg width="256" height="360" caption="Clarence Norris being freed after spending nine years (of a life sentence) in prison. Scottsboro Case Clarence Norris. 1946. Assoc. Press. AP Images. Web. 20 Sept. 2011." link="buchholtzsidoramericanstudies/Home"]] || [[image:buchholtzsidoramericanstudies/Scottsboro_Boys_Trial_2.jpg width="418" height="351" caption="After a four year court battle Samuel Leibowitz, the boys attorney, freed all but one of the nine boys from a death sentence. Scottsboro Boys. 1937. Assoc. Press. AP Images. Web. 20 Sept. 2011"]] ||
 * TASK I: **

Nine Negro boys hitching a ride on a train were arrested in Scottsboro, Alabama. They were kicked off the train for getting into a fight with a few white males, who were also kicked off, but were later accused of rape ("Scottsboro Boys case"). The two young women that charged the nine teens with sexual assault say the incident occurred on the train after the brawl died down. The nine boys went to court, and the jury decided they were guilty. The jury was made up of all white people, and their lawyers had only a brief meeting with them before their trial began; needless to say they did not receive the fair trial to which they were entitled. Eight of the nine boys ended up being sentenced to death in the electric chair, and the ninth was sentenced to life in prison, despite having a doctor prove that none of the Scottsboro boys raped either of the women ("Scottsboro Boys Case"). This injustice is drawing international and even Communist attention (Scottsboro Ruling Evokes Praise Here"). They are pushing for the Supreme Court to give these teens a retrial, and can only hope that they get a fair jury, lawyer, and verdict.
 * Injustice Draws International Support**

“Scottsboro Boys case.” //American Government//. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2011.

"Scottsboro Ruling Evokes Praise Here." //New York Times// 8 Nov. 1931: n. pag. //Nytimes.com//. Web. 18 Sept. 2011. Task 1: Mastery Rubric A quality news article will: •open with an attention-grabbing headline • identify the author's name and the date of the publication (in the past) •develop the 5 W's in three power paragraphs •paragraph 1: contain an interesting lead •paragraph 2: correctly cite a secondary source (an indirect quote) • paragraph 3: correctly cite a primary source (eyewitness account) •maintain appropriate journalistic voice •read like an article written in the same time period as the event occurred •be free of mechanics and Works Cited errors

What is the Argument? The Scottsboro Boys were found guilty even though there is proof that they did not sexually assault the two women from the train; a doctor medically proved it and one of the women even came forward saying that they were not raped. These boys were obviously found guilty because of their skin color. **PROMPT 1**: Why did the majority of Americans not recognize the rights of members of this group? The Scottsboro Boys Trial took place in segregated America. Americans grew up with friends and family that rejected the idea that blacks and whites could be equals. The students at The University of Missouri-Kansas City even pulled out newspaper articles from the '30s that looked down upon the nine boys, they wrote about how poorly behaved and disrespectful they were; these articles are definitely one-sided (Condemned Negroes Riot in Alabama Jail). This proves that African-Americans were not just looked down upon by everyday people, but also the media. The students at The University of Missouri-Kansas City found another article that only tells the women, Ruby Bates' and Victoria Prince's, side of the story (Jail Head Asks Troops as Mob Seeks Negroes),and it also fails to state that they were not tried fairly. These articles are perfect examples of prejudice towards African-Americans in the 1930s. The majority of Americans did not recognize the rights of African-Americans because they did not see them as people; they were looked down upon because of their ethnicity and had been for many years. New York Times. "Condemned Negroes Riot in Alabama Jail." Law2.umkc.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. New York Times. "Jail Head Asks Troops as Mob Seeks Negroes." Law2.umkc.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. **PROMPT 2**: How did advocates for the minority group shed light on this injustice?
 * TASK II**

Supporters of the Scottsboro boys did everything they could to get the boys a fair trial. The advocates, such as the Communist party and internationals, pushed for the case to go on to the Supreme Court so that the teens could get a fair verdict. The New York Times wrote in 1931 that Communists urged the government to give the boys a retrial by threatening to spread Communist propaganda in America (Warns of Red Appeal to Negroes Here). There was definitely a Communist threat during this time period, and the last thing Americans wanted was to become dominated by a dictatorship, so getting help from that party really helped guarantee that they would get a retrial. Another article from the New York Times quotes Arthur Garfield Hays saying, “what will free the Scottsboro boys is the same thing that has forced the Supreme Court to grant them a new trial- mass pressure and mass protest” (Scottsboro Ruling Evokes Praise Here). This case attracted lots of attention, which put the government under intense pressure to reconsider the original verdict.

“Scottsboro Ruling Evokes Praise Here.” //New York Times// 8 Nov. 1931: n. pag. //Nytimes.com//. Web. 18 Sept. 2011.

“Warns of Red Appeal to Negroes Here.” //New York Times// 6 July 1931: n. pag. //Nytimes.com//. Web. 18 Sept 2011

// Go to // Alabama and ya better watch out The landlord'll get ya, gonna jump and shout Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys // Tell ya what // it all about
 * TASK III: **
 * The Scottsboro Boys **

// Go to // Alabama and ya better watch out The landlord'll get ya, gonna jump and shout Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys // Tell ya what // it all about

I'm gonna talk to Joe Louis // And it all angered // me Don't even try to think about it Alabama // ree //

// Go to // Alabama and ya better watch out The landlord'll get ya, gonna jump and shout Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys // Tell ya // all about

// Go to // Alabama and ya better watch out The landlord'll get ya, gonna jump and shout Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys // Tell ya // all about

I'm gonna tell all the colored people // Even the old // nigger here Don't ya ever go to Alabama // And // try to live

// Go to // Alabama and ya better watch out The landlord'll get ya, gonna jump and shout Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys // Gon' tell ya // all about

// Go to // Alabama and ya better watch out The landlord'll get ya, gonna jump and shout Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys // Tell ya // all about

// Go to // Alabama and ya better watch out The landlord'll get ya, gonna jump and shout Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys // Tell ya // all about

I'm gonna tell all the colored people Livin' in Harlem // swing // Don't ya ever go to Alabama // Just try to sing //

// Go to // Alabama and ya better watch out The landlord'll get ya, gonna jump and shout Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys // Gon' tell ya // all about

// Go to // Alabama and ya better watch out The landlord'll get ya, gonna jump and shout Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys // Tell it // all about

I'm gonna tell all the colored people Livin' in Harlem // swing // Don't ya ever go to Alabama // Just try to sing //

// Go to // Alabama and ya better watch out The landlord'll get ya, gonna jump and shout Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys // Tell what it's // all about

// Go to // Alabama and ya better watch out The landlord'll get ya, gonna jump and shout Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys // Tell what it's // all about

__Paragraph 1:__ Analyze the impact of the literary or artistic work for the minority group and/or American society as a whole.

The song //The Scottsboro Boys// was performed by Lead Belly, who wrote it in honor of the struggle the Scottsboro boys had to endure. This song helped draw attention to how bad racism still was in the south. He says "I'm gonna tell all the colored people even the old n* here, don't ya ever go to Alabama and try to live", which showed how persecuted minorities felt during this. Lead Belly helped with supporting the Scottsboro Boys because he, and many other people around the world, felt that they were not being treated as equals.

__Paragraph 2:__ CLOSING-- How did the event impact the debate on the argument? POST PARAGRAPH HERE The Scottsboro Boys Trial brought attention to the fact that African-Americans were not being treated as equals in the United States. The boys even had evidence against their accusation of gang raping two women on a train. A doctor proved that the two young women had not been raped, and eventually one of the two women came forward saying that she nor the other women had been raped by any of the Scottsboro boys. The injustice of these nine young men attracted lots of attention to how the majority can look down on the minority so easily.

An outstanding product will. •showcase a work that expresses a profound idea about your event and the argument surrounding it This is a great song that shows the injustice of the event. •be the **best** example available, not simply the first one you find •demonstrate your ability to interpret the meaning of the literary or artistic piece •use the extended power paragraph format as a means to express your understanding of the event, argument, and how art literature and art can reveal emotions and ideas •reference sources accurately You need a citation for this song. It isn't clear when it was written and the time is important when analyzing the meaning. <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;">•mechanics are clean and effective
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 17px;">TASK III: Artistic Expression Element Rubric **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">An outstanding time line entry includes the following: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">• Opens by identifying you, the author, and your event with a banner headline (see an example of a banner on the top of this page). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">• Under the banner, in the table place two graphics or photos that illustrates an important aspect of the event. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">• Thoughtful responses to each prompt are supported by credible sources representing diverse perspectives on the event. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">• Each response should be posted in order (follow template instructions), contain few mechanic errors and follow the power paragraph format. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; text-align: left;">• The credibility of each cited source is established and internal citations accurately match the Works Cited.• TASK I and TASK II each introduce and cite two new sources; TASK III cites one new source.• The Works Cited lists 5 credible sources from the LC databases.
 * Rubric for the Time Line Page **