The Scottsboro Boys: Jim Crow on Trial

Nick Adamson, Ben Goodman, Matthew Podl Senior Division Group Website

Process Paper
When deciding our topic, we sought one that was a lesser-known story, yet still had a considerable historical impact. We finally chose the story of the Scottsboro Boys, a captivating case of injustice that grabbed the nations attention and provoked sharp reactions around the world. We had a small amount of prior knowledge concerning this case, and as we read into it further, we became quite intrigued by circumstances of the trials and the decisions that resulted from them, and how all of these factors precipitated social and legal change in America. We did a great amount of research on the Internet and at multiple research libraries, including Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, and The Ohio State University, and the Cleveland Public Library. On the Internet, we found several databases of newspapers, including the Baltimore Afro-American and the New York Times. Newspapers were the main way that news of the trials was spread around America, so they had extensive coverage. We made sure to look at newspapers from all backgrounds (e.g. Birmingham News, Daily Worker, Baltimore Afro-American) in order to completely gauge the public reaction to the trials. To assess the reform aspect of our conclusion, we analyzed the U.S. Supreme Court decisions of Powell v. Alabama and Norris v. Alabama and read several law historians perspectives on their effects, such as the unconstitutionality of all-white juries and the qualifications of a competent lawyer. For our historical context section, we searched many online archives and galleries and we found many insightful videos and pictures that captured the intense racism of that time, such as the Tom and Jerry cartoon.

We chose to present our topic as a website because we felt that it provided the best balance between visual aids and text. None of us possessed a great knowledge of computers and technology, so we also found the challenge of creating and manipulating a website attractive. We first decided to use a darker and less colorful theme because we felt it was appropriate to our topic, as it concerns the serious issues of rape and racism. Also, for the thesis slideshow and the timeline, we learned how to write code and use Adobe Flash. The trials of the Scottsboro Boys are an outstanding example of two of the three components of this years theme; reaction and reform. The trials went to the U.S. Supreme Court twice, and set landmark legal precedents concerning the constitutionality of all-white juries and the qualifications of a capable lawyer. For reaction, the injustice of the trials aroused a great amount of anti-Jim Crow sentiment around the world, leading to mass protests and rallies against the unfair treatment of the youths. This reaction against Jim Crow, combined with the symbolic reforms that showed blacks in the South that justice was possible, were the spark that ignited the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.