...the Scottsboro Trials, nine young innocent boys were accused of a crime they never once committed and were dragged through many unfair trials. All boys were african american and their names were Clarence Norris, Olen Montgomery, Andy Wright, Willie Robertson, Ozie Powell, Eugene Williams, Charlie Weems, Roy Wright, Haywood Patterson. The boys ages ranged from 19-13 years old. In all, 5 trials were held for this case. The boys experienced racism, discrimination and segregation throughout this part of their life. The night when the boys were accused of raping two girls was a rough night for them. They were on a train late at night and ¨What they see are dozens of white men with rifles and pistols-an armed posse-rushing in to grab Haywood Patterson,...
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...Colin O’Leary TKM Paper Has one ever heard about the Scottsboro trial? Has one ever witnessed racism in there life? Harper Lee’s novel was based on true events in our American history past. These are connections to Jim Crow, mob mentality, and issues of racism in that time period. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird one of their historic reference was the Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws were laws that made whites superior to the blacks, and were also anti-black laws. The whites thought this was needed because they said lynching was distasteful but was necessary. They thought this also because it was necessary to the criminal justice system because blacks were prone to violence (Pilgrim 5). The whites thought it was needed but about one-third...
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...A recent Supreme Court case in which a juvenile being tried as an adult was brought up was Miller v. Alabama. It's premise was that Evan Miller, a fourteen year old boy, along with his accomplice, Colby Smith, set fire to their neighbors trailer from whom they had purchased drugs. The neighbor and owner of the trailer, Cole Cannon, had fallen asleep after a drinking session with both Miller and Smith and only woke to find that he was being robbed. After noticing this, both Miller and Smith proceeded to beat Cannon with a baseball bat. They later returned to set fire to the trailer so as to cover their tracks and burn any evidence of their deed. Cole Cannon later died as a result of severe injuries he received by being beaten with a bat, as...
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...The nine young African Americans were recognized as the “Scottsboro boys” They were accused of raped of two white women on a train toward Alabama in 1931. The white jury convicted eight of them. All except one, the youngest at 12 years old, and were sentenced to death. The story of the Scottsboro Boys is important not only in civil rights history, but also in the evolution of constitutional law, for it was this case that led to a more wide-reaching, interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of "equal protection under the law" and of "due process of law." The case also expanded the scope of the Sixth Amendment's assurance of a defendant's right to "have the assistance of counsel." Specifically, the case ultimately resulted in...
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...-The unjust legal system During the time that the novel To Kill a Mockingbird takes place there was a lot of racial injustice in the legal system. Black people would be sent to prison or killed for crimes they either did not commit or for crimes that did not deserve such punishments. The author Harper Lee was aware of this injustice and she based her book To Kill a Mockingbird on one of these trials. The trial that was taking place during this novel was called the Scottsboro boys trial. Once again black men were being accused of a crime but they did not commit. -The Scottsboro boys trial •What Happened On March 25, 1931 in Scottsboro, Alabama a group of nine black teenagers entered onto a train. Their names were Charlie Weems, Ozie Powell, Clarence Norris, Olen Montgomery, Willie Roberson, Hayward Patterson, Eugene Williams, and Andrew and Leroy Wright .When a group of white teenagers saw one of the boys,...
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...The case Gregg vs Georgia all started when a man named Troy Leon Gregg was hitchhiking north in Florida with a 16 year old named Floyd Rayford Allen who only had 8 dollars between them. The two of them were given rides by two men named Fred Edward Simmons and Bob Durwood Moore. As they entered into Georgia the men stopped at a rest stop and Simmons and moore got outta the car Gregg told Allen “Were going to rob them” getting out and firing 3 shots causing Simmons and Moore to fall in a drainage ditch. Gregg quickly ran over to the men and shot them both in the head, took their money, jumped into the car and drove away. On November 24, 1973 Gregg was found driving Simmons car with 107 dollars, a pistol in his pocket and the bullets used to kill...
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...influences from Jim Crow laws, mob mentality, and Scottsboro trials. The first influence on Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is the Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws are a racial caste system. Jim Crow are a bunch of harsh against Blacks laws (Pilgrim). The Whites did these actions because they disliked any benefit made Blacks including economic and political (Pilgrim). If the Blacks are to disobey then the punishments could be a lynching (Pilgrim). The Jim Crow laws are seen in To Kill a Mockingbird. One of the laws that you could see was “ Never assert or even intimate that...
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...Had Wyrick not attempted the escape and committed the assault, he might have done a year and half or three years. In the words of the late, great movie star John Wayne, “life is hard but its harder when you’re stupid”. In 1952 Wyrick appealed his case and stated that the assault on Hodges had not been premeditated and that the average sentence for assault was five years. Wyrick's appeal went before the court, and was subsequently, turned down. The next morning Buff was in Ruby Jo Martin's cafe for breakfast. Ruby Jo had been a WAC in the military and was seven years older than Buff, but he was smitten with her just the same. Ruby Jo was described as tall, pretty and dark skinned like an American Indian. “Morning darling”. Said Ruby Jo as she poured Buff a cup of coffee. “Morning Ruby Jo! You're looking pretty as always.” The night marshal was a known charmer. “How was last night?” “Good. Stopped a few kids for speeding, one of the Newman boys struck a cow over at Nixa and... Well, have you ever thought about marriage Ruby Jo?” “Why Marshal Lamb, are you proposing to me?” “No, no, just wondering if you'd ever thought about it.” “I guess so. I know you have. How many times you been married anyways?” “Two, but I married Mary Lee twice, so I guess three.” “You're only 27 years old and been married three times! My goodness Mr. Lamb, you sure do get around!” Seven months later, Buff Lamb and Ruby Jo Martin married in Harrison, Arkansas. Ruby Jo continued to work at the...
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...Robinson in the novel? | | E3 | In a time in which racism and segregation were substantial two lawyers each very determined to help and stand by their clients and defend them in law to the best of their abilities in the face of danger. Both the Scottsboro boy Trials and the Tom Robinson trial in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” were very similar and “To kill a Mockingbird” definitely seemed as if it were influenced by the Scottsboro boy’s trial. | Samuel Leibowits was the lawyer who defended Charles Weems, Andy Wright, Olen Montgomery, Roy Wright, Willie Robertson, Eugene Williams, Ozzie Powell, Clarence Norris and Haywood Patterson also known as the Scottsboro Boys. What happen to them was that they were on a train and they were accused of rape by Victoria Price and Ruby Bates. All nine men were convicted soon after for rape. Atticus Finch defended Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" the story revolves around the trial and the life of Finch and his family before, during and after the trial of Tom Robinson. Atticus faced loads of criticism for defending a black man. The similarities that are shared between the trials of the Scottsboro Boys and that of Tom Robinson in "To Kill a Mockingbird" are many. First of all they both take place in a racist and segregated state in the south; Alabama. Both Trials are defended by white lawyers who face much criticism and threats from racist people. In...
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...On April 29, 2017 at approximately 2019 hours, I responded to Advernir at Magnolia apartments located at 210 Welcome Way, Fern Park, Seminole County, in reference to criminal mischief. Upon arrival I made contact with witnesses Dana Connors, James Hargis and Dylan Morehouse, all of whom provided me with a sworn written statement. Connors, Hargis and Morehouse all stated they were swimming when they observed approximately five black males, who appeared to be teenagers playing basketball. They further stated the subjects then entered the pool area and began horse-playing, before proceeding to enter the restroom where they ripped off the cabinet doors. According to the witnesses one of the subjects then kicked in the door to the maintenance...
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...Greensboro Four Fraternity The Greensboro Four were a group of four young men who were black and teenagers during the mid-20th century towards the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. The four men were named Ezell Blair Jr, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond. Ezell was born on October 18th, 1941-present, he is currently 76. Frank was born on January 3rd, 1941 and died on January 9th, 2014, age 73, of respiratory complications. Joseph was born on March 25th, 1942 and is still kicking at 75 years old. And David was born on April 20th, 1941 and died 27 years ago on December 7th, 1990 at age 49 of lung cancer. These honorable men are known for starting one of the biggest civil rights movements during the 1960’s. What they did, was one Saturday they walked into a restaurant, that only served only white people, sat down and ordered lunch for themselves. The waiter told them to get out before he called the cops because that restaurant only served white people. But the Greensboro Four wouldn’t budge so the waiter left them without food and they sat there until closing time. They left and were back as soon as the doors opened the next day, they sat there all that day until the waiter called the cops and the Greensboro Four were arrested, but other...
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...On Monday, three students from San Jose State University were only charged with a misdemeanor offense after they were accused of putting a bike lock around a black student's neck. The students, all white males, reportedly also attempted to lock the black student in a closet and called him "three-fifths of a person." The jury concluded that these crimes, among other accusations of harassment from the students, were not hate crimes. According to Mercury News, the students in question were Joseph "Brett" Bomgardner, 21, Logan Beaschler, 20, and Colin Warren, 20. Each were convicted of a misdemeanor battery after a jury made up of six men and six women were deadlocked as to whether the crimes could be considered ones of hate. Although the...
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...Rogue Robinson Convicted MAYCOMB, AL, July 10- Tom Robinson, 25, has been charged for rape by the Maycomb Court. The court case, which saw an unprecedentedly high turn-up rate, came to a close yesterday, with the jury delivering the guilty verdict after an hour-long jury debate. Witnesses Heck Tate, 40, Maycomb sheriff and Robert E. Lee ‘Bob’ Ewell, 50, the victim’s father, and Mayella Violet Ewell, 19, the victim, all testified against Robinson, giving similar versions of the events. Mayella Ewell was raped by Robinson in the late afternoon on November 21. In Ms Ewell’s testimony, she claimed that she asked Robinson to assist her in chopping up a chiffarobe, an old dresser with drawers on one side. Once inside the house, Robinson...
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...It was Sunday, noon on June 2, 1981 a young, twenty-one-year-old black college football student from California State University at Long Beach was on his way to a coaching job at a local junior high school. The young man’s name was Ron Settles, he was a rising athletic star with a very promising career, major league football teams were looking a recruiting him. According to a March 1982 Boston Globe article, as Settles was on his way to the school, he was pulled over by Signal Hill Police, (Signal Hill is a very tiny city, about 2.2 miles’ longs and is it surrounded by Long Beach, California). The police version of this police stop, was that Settles was speeding 50mhp in 25mhp zone, and when he was asked to produce his driver’s license, he refused. He was then asked to step out of the car, again he refused, and then was forcibly removed from the vehicle by three other officers. The officers said Settles had a knife and he was going to attack them, and they had to beat him in the chest and head for them to get the knife out of hands, the cops later that found cocaine in Settles car. When cops brought Settles to the police station, he repeatedly asked to make his phone call and was denied this legal right (under California law, Settles had a civil right to make two complete phones). At about 3 p.m., or three hours after Ron Settles had been pulled over, his lifeless body was found hanging in his jail cell, the noose that was used for the hanging was a mattress cover. The police...
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...The Scottsboro boys are one of the most prime examples in US history of injustice and Racial Bigotry. On March 25, 1931 a group of black men boarded a train with the purpose of finding work in Memphis. When a fight broke out between the Scottsboro boys and a group of whites, the men involved found that the solution to their quarrel wouldbe to accuse the black men of assault. Of course during this time period assault of a white man by a black was a very major deal, the real issue came when two white women accused the Scottsboro boys of rape. The women (who also had a history of prostitution) feared vagrancy charges and thought that a way to avoid them would be to plea rape in a larger case. Thousands of people in history have been falsely accused...
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