The story of the case of the “Scottsboro Boys” is one filled with a large amount of prejudice and racism towards blacks during the 1930’s. During March of 1931, nine young black men were arrested by a Paint Rock law enforcement officer after being found on a freight train. Found with the men were two women: Victoria Price and Ruby Bates, who claimed that the men arrested had raped them. The men were escorted to a Jail in Scottsboro where they would have to be protected by the National Guard because of the angry mob that had formed around the jail when people heard news of their arrival. The Scottsboro boys were given a drunk, inexperienced counsel named Stephen Roddy to represent them during the trial (The Trials 1).
All nine of these men would soon experience first hand the injustices that existed in the United States legal system at that time. After the jury deliberated for two hours, the defendants were all found guilty and all sentenced to death, except for Roy Wright who was only twelve years old. Many groups, such as the ILD, Communist Party, and NAACP were infuriated about the result of the Scottsboro Boy’s trial, and spread the word about the injustices. Many people around the country and around the world were writing letters and speaking out to protest the racism committed. Eventually, the Scottsboro boys got a new trial for which they hired the esteemed criminal lawyer, Samuel Liebowitz. Unfortunately, the organizations’ combined efforts led to no avail.
The boys were again found guilty by the all male, all white jury.
In late 1933, Alabama circuit Judge James E. Horton decided to overturn the March 1933 verdict and give the Scottsboro Boys a new trial. This was an unprecedented move. Samuel Liebowitz left the ILD when they decided to do some unethical things in order to gain an advantage in the trial such as bribing Victoria Price. He founded the American Scottsboro Committee, or ASC in 1934. Members of this group included white liberals, black...