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Scottsboro: A Tragedy of the American South (1969)

by Dan T. Carter

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1401193,501 (4.15)14
Scottsboro tells the riveting story of one of this country's most famous and controversial court cases and a tragic and revealing chapter in the history of the American South. In 1931, two white girls claimed they were savagely raped by nine young black men aboard a freight train moving across northeastern Alabama. The young men-ranging in age from twelve to nineteen-were quickly tried, and eight were sentenced to death. The age of the defendants, the stunning rapidity of their trials, and the harsh sentences they received sparked waves of protest and attracted national attention during the 1930s. Originally published in 1970, Scottsboro triggered a new interest in the case, sparking two film documentaries, several Hollywood docudramas, two autobiographies, and numerous popular and scholarly articles on the case. In his new introduction, Dan T. Carter looks back more than thirty-five years after he first wrote about the case, asking what we have learned that is new about it and what relevance the story of Scottsboro still has in the twenty-first century.… (more)
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1037 Scottsboro: A Tragedy of the American South, by Dan T. Carter (read 7 Dec 1969) (Bancroft Prize in 1969) I found this easy reading, and difficult to lay down. I am also surprised how fuzzy my knowledge of the case actually was. On March 25, 1931, a train was searched at Paint Rock, Jackson County, Alabama, and nine young Negro men and two white prostitutes were removed therefrom. The women accused the Negroes of rape. The first hurried trial at Scottsboro, Ala., resulted in the death penalty for all nine. The U.S. Supreme Court,in an opinion by Justice Sutherland, reversed, because of mob influence, in Powell v. Alabama, 287 U.S. 45 (1932). Then Liebowitz got into the case and numerous trials followed--all of which ran into the most blind Alabama prejudice as far as jurors were concerned. It is simply fantastic that jurors could be so prejudiced. Apparently these boys had nothing at all to do with the girls! The awful miscarriages of justice resulted in all the nine being in prison till 1937, and five being in prison longer--one till June 9, 1950. The book, written by a South Carolinian and published by Louisiana State University Press, is objective--and thus terrifying. Nine dumb Negroes, who did nothing to deserve it, ruined by stupid prejudice. A fantastic story. ( )
  Schmerguls | Jun 22, 2009 |
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The Chattanooga to Memphis freight was a half hour late.
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Scottsboro tells the riveting story of one of this country's most famous and controversial court cases and a tragic and revealing chapter in the history of the American South. In 1931, two white girls claimed they were savagely raped by nine young black men aboard a freight train moving across northeastern Alabama. The young men-ranging in age from twelve to nineteen-were quickly tried, and eight were sentenced to death. The age of the defendants, the stunning rapidity of their trials, and the harsh sentences they received sparked waves of protest and attracted national attention during the 1930s. Originally published in 1970, Scottsboro triggered a new interest in the case, sparking two film documentaries, several Hollywood docudramas, two autobiographies, and numerous popular and scholarly articles on the case. In his new introduction, Dan T. Carter looks back more than thirty-five years after he first wrote about the case, asking what we have learned that is new about it and what relevance the story of Scottsboro still has in the twenty-first century.

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