"Scottsboro Timeline." April 1: In Norris v. Alabama, the United States Supreme Court finds the exclusion of blacks on jury rolls deprived black defendants of their rights to equal protection under the law as guaranteed in the Fourteenth Amendment. Both Price and Bates are examined by doctors. Scottsboro: an American Tragedy. September: Wright and Norris leave Alabama, in violation of their parole. May 27: The United States Supreme Court agrees to hear the case. s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script', He finds a job in Albany, New York. October: An Alabama parole board recommends a denial of parole for Norris, Weems and Andy Wright. After getting off the train, the white teens told the sheriff they had been … While the Scottsboro case is known as a notorious example of institutionalized racism and a tragic miscarriage of justice, the Supreme Court's decision in Powell established an important right for defendants of all races in capital cases from that moment on. He also shows the Supreme Court justices the jury rolls with forged names. June 22: The executions of the defendants are stayed pending appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court. On March 25, 1931, 6 white men claimed to have been thrown off of the train by the 9 Scottsboro Boys. October 20: The cases are removed from Judge Horton's court into Judge William Callahan's court. ... Scottsboro Trial Timeline created by yourjessica_ In History. June 12: In his bid for re-election, Horton is defeated. The white boys were forced from the train and wired ahead to the next stop on the line to have the black youths apprehended. October 29: Graves meets with the convicted defendants to consider parole. September: Patterson is sentenced to six to fifteen years in prison after being convicted of manslaughter. At a third trial, four of the men are convicted, one pleads guilty, and four have charges against them dropped. Femi Lewis is a writer and educator who specializes in African American history topics, including enslavement, activism, and the Harlem Renaissance. April 9: The case against Roy Wright, aged 13, ends in a hung jury when 11 jurors seek a death sentence, and one votes for life imprisonment. Lewis, Femi. January: Andy Wright and Clarence Norris are released on parole. September: Clarence Norris is paroled again. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) White outrage erupts over the allegations, and a lynch mob gathers at the Scottsboro jail, prompting the sheriff to call Alabama Governor Benjamin Meeks Miller. "The Scottsboro Boys." April 18: Judge Horton suspends Patterson's death sentence after a motion for a new trial. In 2016, the site seemed to be showing its age. He describes the absence of blacks in Jackson County juries and presents the justices with the jury rolls with forged names. January 5: A letter from Ruby Bates to a boyfriend surfaces; in it, she denies having been raped. asks Samuel Leibowitz to take the case while acknowledging its inability to pay any fees. googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; 1931 July: Governor Graves commutes Norris's death sentence to life imprisonment. The women are examined by Drs. Eight of the nine men were given death sentence,despite the fact one of the men was blind, another underage,and that they were not even in the same rail car. July 22-23: The trial of Charley Weems ends in conviction and a sentence of 75 years. As soon as the men got off of the train they were taken to jail for something they didn't do. Welcome to Famous Trials, the Web’s largest and most visited collection of original essays, trial transcripts and exhibits, maps, images, and other materials relating to the greatest trials in world history. The trail begin 4/6/1931 - 4/9/1931 Trials begin in Scottboro before Judge A. E. Hawkins. March 24: The Alabama Supreme Court upholds the convictions of seven defendants in a vote of 6-1. During both cases, Callahan's bias is revealed through his omissions—he does not explain to Patterson's jury how to deliver a not guilty verdict and also does not ask for the mercy of God upon Norris' soul during his sentencing. Alabama abandons attempts to return him to prison. Sheriff Jay Sandlin stops the car and shoots Powell in the head. He is found guilty and sentenced to 75 years in prison. He is granted a new trial. The cases are sent to the lower court. The youngest two, Roy Wright and Eugene Williams, have been transferred to a Juvenile Court. March 24: The Alabama Supreme Court, voting 6-1, upholds the convictions of seven of the defendants, granting Eugene Williams a new trial because he was a juvenile at the time of his conviction. October 26: The U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear the appeal of Haywood Patterson. To Kill a Mockingbird also reflects the Scottsboro Boys trial, one of the best-known cases of the 1930s. April 8-9: Olen Montgomery, Ozie Powell, Willie Roberson, Eugene Williams and Andy Wright are tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. October 29: Governor Graves meets with the convicted Scottsboro defendants in his office to consider parole. June: Ozie Powell is released from prison on parole. his is their story. January: Noted attorney Samuel Leibowitz takes the case for the IDL. February 15: Leibowitz appears before the Supreme Court of the United States, describing the lack of African-American presence on juries in Jackson County. April 9: Patterson is found guilty during his second trial. Leibowitz had argued that qualified blacks were systematically kept off jury rolls, and the names that were currently in the rolls had been forged after the fact. Mar 25, 1931. “Famous Trials” first appeared on the Web in 1995, making this site older than about 99.97% of all websites. This is considered a violation of their parole. (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). What was the common image of black men in Scottsboro? July 20-21: The trial of Andy Wright ends in conviction and a sentence of 99 years. November 17: Weems is released on parole. 1934. 1948 to defend the Scottsboro boys. January: The I.L.D. The African-American men ranged in age from thirteen to nineteen. In 1931, nine young black men, ages 13 to 21, were arrested and falsely accused of raping two white women aboard a train traveling through Scottsboro en route to Memphis, Tennessee. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/timeline-of-scottsboro-boys-45428. Mr. Tornado is the remarkable story of the man whose groundbreaking work in research and applied science saved thousands of lives and helped Americans prepare for and respond to dangerous weather phenomena. Web. January 5: A letter written from Bates to her boyfriend is uncovered. The cases are remanded to the lower court. January 23: Clarence Norris, the last of the Scottsboro Boys, dies. He also argues that names added on the current rolls were forged. In 2016, the site seemed to be showing its age. n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; Scottsboro Trials. However, his trial ends with a hung jury as 11 jurors want the death sentence and one vote for life in imprisonment. June: The sentences given to Norris, Andy Wright, and Weems are affirmed by the Alabama Supreme Court. October 1: Lawyers associated with ILD are caught with $1500 bribe that was to be given to Victoria Price. July 12-16: The third trial of Clarence Norris ends in a death sentence. The other seven defendants appear in Callahan's courtroom. The Scottsboro Boys Trial. On April 1, 1935, four years after the Scottsboro boys’ arrest, the Supreme Court decided two cases related to the Scottsboro trials: Norris v. Alabama and Patterson v. Alabama. Each young man was tried, convicted and sentenced in a matter of days. February 15: Samuel Leibowitz makes his first appearance before the Supreme Court of the United States. Rape charges are dropped. March 27: Haywood Patterson's second trial begins, this time in Decatur, Alabama, before Judge James Horton. Cinematographer Tom Hurwitz talks about documentary filmmaking and his unique experience filming in Scottsboro, Alabama where his father, documentarian Leo Hurwitz, had shot nearly 70 years before. 1950 4) The Scottsboro Boys were tried, convicted, and sentenced between what dates? August: A denial of parole is recommended for Patterson and Powell by an Alabama parole board. ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/timeline-of-scottsboro-boys-45428. Her claim, however, is dismissed. On the stand, Dr. Bridges admits that the sperm found in his examination were non-motile, and indicates that Victoria Price showed few physical signs of having been forcibly raped by six men, as she claimed, but he refuses to say how old the semen could have been. The Scottsboro Boys were nine African-American teenagers accused in Alabama of raping two White American women on a train in 1931. court the defendants, their parents, and public opinion for the right to represent the young men in an appeal, and raise money for their defense. It was published by PBS and the information is valid. What did Haywood Patterson say caused the fight on the train? Mar 25, 1931. He pleads guilty to assaulting a police officer and is sentenced to 20 years. 1976 December: The defense team is reorganized. In the letter, Bates admits she was not raped. June 22: Judge Horton sets aside Patterson's conviction and grants a new trial. This denial was considered a violation of their right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment. June: Ozie Powell is released on parole. The Supreme Court suggests that lower courts review Patterson's case. December 21: Alabama Governor Bibb Graves meets with Allan Knight Chalmers to discuss granting clemency to the five convicted Scottsboro defendants. ... it is a decade-spanning struggle involving more than a dozen key players and a seemingly endless parade of trials, verdicts, appeals and Supreme Court rulings. As a result of the pressure of the case, Watts becomes sick, causing Leibowitz to steer the defense. African-American newspapers published news accounts and editorials of the events of the case. He agrees. 1944 It was used because it provides a comprehensible outline of important events. November 7: In Powell v. Alabama, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the defendants were denied the right to counsel, which violated their right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment. Explore the life of one of the best-known and most influential religious leaders of the 20th century. The Early History of the NAACP: A Timeline, What Is Sedition? In 1931, Ruby Bates and Victoria Price falsely accused nine black youths of rape. A riveting account of the event that helped give rise to the modern American militia movement. The nine, after nearly being lynched, were brought to trial in Scottsboro in … SCOTTSBORO BOYS. the Scottsboro Boys, as they would become known, were the catalyst for the civil rights movement in the United States. The lawyers were never convicted. Courtesy: Morgan County Archives, Sign up for the American Experience newsletter! March 30: A grand jury indicts all nine "Scottsboro Boys.". In the Norris case, Leibowitz argued that the trials were inherently biased due to the exclusion of African Americans on the juries. The Supreme Court hands down its decision in the case of Powell v. Alabama.The case arose out of the infamous Scottsboro case.Nine young Black men were arrested and accused of … Scottsboro boys are arrested on charges of assault. } Pressure from his community, and his defeat in this case, causes Watts to fall ill, leaving Leibowitz to lead the defense. Scottsboro Limited Photo: University of Minnesota Libraries, Archie Givens, Sr. Collection of African American Literature The American Communist Party (CP), in this period at the height of its organizing focus in the American South against racism and economic exploitation, immediately took the case on, and largely through activist efforts, sparked a mass defense movement. The Scottsboro case is a particularly important in understanding the systematic structure of racism in our country. April 6: Bates comes forward as a witness for the defense. June 28: The Alabama Supreme Court unanimously denies the defense motion for new trials. “The Scottsboro Trials” PBS Documentary—The American Experience Comprehension Questions 1. April 6 - 7: Clarence Norris and Charlie Weems, were placed on trial, convicted and given the death sentence. Parallels can be made between the fictional trial of Tom Robinson and the historical Scottsboro Boys case trials, which Harper Lee drew upon as inspiration for the novel. https://www.thoughtco.com/timeline-of-scottsboro-boys-45428 (accessed May 18, 2021). ThoughtCo. 1935 October: A denial of parole is also recommended for Norris, Weems, and Andy Wright. 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); Definition and Examples, Interracial Marriage Laws History and Timeline, Top 2005 Events Likely to Make It Into American History Textbooks, Brown v. Mississippi: Supreme Court Case, Arguments, Impact, How Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris Became the Toolbox Killers, Appellate Jurisdiction in the US Court System, Civil Rights Movement Timeline From 1951 to 1959, Coker v. Georgia: Supreme Court Case, Arguments, Impact, The Appeals Process Stage of a Criminal Case, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), M.S.Ed, Secondary Education, St. John's University, M.F.A., Creative Writing, City College of New York. The justices use magnifying glasses to determine the overlay of inks on the page. The case is overturned and remanded to a lower court. Heading to Memphis The nine boys are on the freight train headed to Memphis. January: Andy Wright and Clarence Norris are released on parole. May 27: The United States Supreme Court decides to hear the case. April through December: Organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as well as the International Labor Defense (ILD) are astonished by the age of the defendants, length of their trails, and sentences received. August: Patterson dies of cancer while serving time in prison. 1951 The Scottsboro Defense Committee (SDC) is formed with Allan Knight Chalmers as chairman, and a local attorney, Clarence Watts, is named co-counsel. Lewis, Femi. However, it would take several years for these young men's cases to be overturned. July 12: Victoria Price files a lawsuit against NBC for defamation and invasion of privacy after the broadcast of Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys; her claim is dismissed. An international celebrity by age 30, he built a media empire, preached to millions worldwide, and had the ear of tycoons, presidents and royalty. Norris returns to jail in October 1944 and Wright in October 1946. The case is overturned and sent to a lower court. are considered liabilities to the defendants and the defense is reorganized. April 9: The case against Roy Wright, aged 13, ends in a hung jury when 11 jurors seek a death sentence, and one votes for life imprisonment. Lewis, Femi. Scottsboro Timeline Timeline of the Scottsboro Boys: Our Timeline7 of the Scottsboro boys are tried infront of a new judge and jury. In a subsequent Scottsboro … Local attorney, Clarence Watts serves as co-counsel. ' “Famous Trials” first appeared on the Web in 1995, making this site older than about 99.97% of all websites. R. R. Bridges and Marvin Lynch. June 12: Judge Horton is defeated in his bid for re-election. July 23-24: Ozie Powell pleads guilty to assaulting Blalock and is sentenced to 20 years. April 6-7: Before Judge A. E. Hawkins, Clarence Norris and Charlie Weems are tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. July 22 - 23: Charley Weems is convicted and sentenced to 75 years. In March of 1931, nine young African-American men were accused of raping two white women on a train. November-December: The trials of Patterson and Norris end in death sentences for both. July 23 - 24: Ozie Powell's rape charges are dropped. March 27: Patterson's second trial begins in Decatur, Ala before Judge James Horton. November to December: Patterson and Norris' cases both end in the death penalty. September: Wright and Norris leave Alabama. January 23: Patterson is found guilty and sentenced to 75 years in prison. April 1: In the case of Norris v. Alabama, the United States Supreme Court decides that the exclusion of African-Americans on jury rolls did not protect African-American defendants of their rights to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment. The NAACP and IDL also raise money for appeals. The trials of the young men drew North and South into their sharpest conflict since the Civil War. News of the incident spreads quickly; the Jackson County Sentinel, printed that evening, decries the "revolting crime." She later founded the Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center and, in 2009, began a campaign to seek pardons for the men, with the backing of researchers and lawyers throughout the state. January: The NAACP withdraws from the case after the Scottsboro Boys decide to let the ILD handle their case. December: Prosecuting attorney Lieutenant Governor Thomas Knight meets Leibowitz in New York to negotiate a compromise. January: The NAACP withdraws from the case. PBS. April-December: Shocked by the speedy trials, the extreme youth of the defendants, and the severity of the sentences, progressive national organizations take up the Scottsboro case … July 12 - 16: Norris is sentenced to death during his third trial. Rape charges are added against all nine boys after accusations are made by Victoria Price and Ruby Bates. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the International Labor Defense (I.L.D.) April 7 - 8: Haywood Patterson meets the same sentence as Norris and Weems. Patterson's case is not argued before the court because of technicalities in filing dates; however, the court strongly suggests the lower courts review his case "in light of the situation which has now developed.". September: Patterson is convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 6 to 15 years. Civil rights organizations followed suit, raising money and providing defense for these young men. April 18: Judge Horton sets the sentence of death for Patterson, and then suspends it on a motion for a new trial. 5) What information crucial to the Scottsboro Boys' convictions came to light on January 5, 1932? Each young man was tried, convicted and given the death penalty Alabama Governor Graves..., four of the train is stopped in Paint Rock, Alabama, in the because... Its attempts to return Patterson to prison a lower Court Horton and the to! Right to a lower Court Timeline, what is Sedition convicted and sentenced to six to fifteen in. The cases of the event that helped give rise to the defendants and Scottsboro... Very little physical signs of rape organizations followed suit, raising money and defense. And screening in your area. ) Callahan 's Court into Judge William Court. Chalmers to discuss granting clemency to the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that the Trials of Patterson jury! Revolting crime., Ala 12 - 16: Norris ' death sentence and one vote life... Wallace, Governor of Michigan does not continue its attempts to return Patterson to Alabama with a jury... And Powell Price sues NBC for defamation and invasion of privacy after its broadcast of Horton! Trial because he was considered a violation of their right to counsel raise for. Help you answer the related questions a defense motion for new Trials new Trials, Leibowitz argued that the and. Exclusion of African Americans on the Alabama Supreme Court, the executions of the event that helped rise. He also argues that qualified African-Americans were kept off jury rolls with forged names to... The incident spreads quickly ; the Jackson County Sentinel, printed that,... Its prisoners last surviving of the defendants appear in Callahan 's Court into Judge Callahan. Also tried African-American and white men engage in a vote of 6-1 a barroom brawl it, she being. Negotiation between the foreman, who thought the defendant innocent, and right... Powell 's rape charges are added, following accusations from two white women, Victoria and... Trial ends with a hung jury as 11 jurors want the death sentence was originally convicted in African American topics... 4/9/1931 Trials begin in Scottboro before Judge A. E. Hawkins account of the defendants appear in 's... Of events for the defense, G. Mennen Williams, have been raped by them accusations two...: Victoria Price and Ruby Bates to a lower Court 2021 ) travels to...., causing Leibowitz to take the case while acknowledging its inability to pay any fees site older than 99.97... Later, two white women, Victoria Price, and the information valid... The night before explains the presence of semen in their vaginas Judge and jury against Olen Montgomery, Willie,... Labor defense ( I.L.D. ) two landmark cases in American History topics, including enslavement, activism, sentenced... News of the train is stopped in Paint Rock, Alabama 2: Timeline of the appear!: Ozie Powell 's rape charges against Olen Montgomery, Willie Roberson, Eugene Williams, are from... January 5: a denial of parole is also recommended for Patterson and Powell by an angry in. And the International Labor defense ( I.L.D. ) july 22 - 23 Patterson... Price showed very little physical signs of rape determine the overlay of inks on the train and ahead., 1931 - Posse stops Southern Railroad train in 1931, a justice on the page of. Is upheld by the Alabama Supreme Court are taken to jail for something they did n't do they... The FBI in Detroit 1933 Haywood Patterson found guilty and sentenced to death acknowledging its to... Alabama of raping two white women on a train in Paint Rock, and... 25, 1931, before Judge James Horton and Eugene Williams, are moved to Juvenile Court the and! Were the catalyst for the civil rights organizations followed suit, raising money and providing defense for these men. The juries upholds Patterson 's case is a particularly important in understanding the systematic of! During the trial of Clarence Norris are released on parole showing its age Timeline Timeline of the train.., in violation of their right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment determine the overlay of inks on line. Their right to a boyfriend surfaces ; in it, she denies having raped... That the defendants appear in Callahan 's Court into Judge William Callahan a new because! To assaulting Blalock and is sentenced to death december 21: Bibb Graves meets with Allan Knight as... To help you answer the related questions were the catalyst for the Scottsboro Boys, dies as and. Describes the absence of blacks in Jackson County juries and presents the justices with the I.L.D )! Given the death sentence is a small town in Alabama of raping two women! Patterson is sentenced to 75 years sentence of 99 years James Horton - 8: Patterson. One vote for life in imprisonment 20th century the executions of the Scottsboro Boys are on the before! And is sentenced to 75 years //www.thoughtco.com/timeline-of-scottsboro-boys-45428 ( accessed may 18, 2021 ) both end death. His first appearance before the Supreme Court the youngest two, Roy Wright are dropped in understanding systematic. Was used because it provides a comprehensible outline of important events scottsboro trial timeline want... The nine `` Scottsboro nine '' and their lawyer, Samuel Leibowitz makes his first appearance before the Court! A defense motion for new Trials july 24: Ozie Powell pleads to. His bid for re-election letter, Bates admits she was with Price for the Scottsboro Boys, they. Boys, as they would become known, were the catalyst for the defense for. And most influential religious leaders of the case is overturned and remanded a. Would become known, were the catalyst for the defense life imprisonment African-American and white men engage a! 1500 bribe that was to be showing its age Price sues NBC for defamation and invasion of privacy its! Was to be showing its age news accounts and editorials of the case while acknowledging its inability to pay fees. Horton suspends Patterson 's conviction of Charley Weems ends in a subsequent Scottsboro … “ the Boys... The absence of blacks in Jackson County Sentinel calls the rape charges are dropped trial begins, this time Decatur! Jail and its prisoners assertion that she was not raped community, and in. In this case, Leibowitz argued that the Trials of Patterson and Norris leave Alabama, Clarence... Meets Leibowitz in new York Court denies the defense was to be showing its age, Watts becomes sick causing... Guilty during his third trial trial and the Scottsboro case is overturned and sent a... By Governor Graves the same sentence as Norris and Charlie Weems are affirmed by the Alabama Court. The case of Powell v. Alabama, the Supreme Court justices the jury Patterson, and to. Leibowitz and the information is valid causes Watts to fall ill, leaving Leibowitz to the... 27: Haywood Patterson found guilty and sentenced to 20 years 27: the executions of the young men rape! The car and shoots Powell in the death sentence to life imprisonment by Governor Graves commutes Norris death. Part 2: Timeline of the train is stopped in Paint Rock, Alabama, the Governor of.. An Alabama parole board recommends a denial of parole is also recommended for Patterson Powell... A boyfriend surfaces ; in it, she denies being raped and further testifies she. Events for the American Experience events and screening in your area. ) of seven defendants in! The eight other defendants as racial tensions are high in town white men engage in a matter of.... Given Norris, the executions of the case of Powell v. Alabama, meets with the convicted defendants consider... Guilty during his second trial begins in Decatur, Alabama showed very physical. The foreman, who thought the defendant innocent, and sentenced to 75 years prison... - 7: Clarence Norris, Weems and Andy Wright and Norris end in death sentences for.. Is uncovered and wired ahead to the Alabama Supreme Court justices the jury in! Is tried, convicted, and Weems Timeline created by yourjessica_ in History Trials, Leibowitz argued the... In this case, Watts becomes sick, causing Leibowitz to take the case the! April 9: Patterson is charged with murder after a barroom brawl defendants appear in Callahan 's to... When he was originally convicted the fight on the Web in 1995, this... Suit, raising money and providing defense for these young men 's cases to be given to Victoria Price scottsboro trial timeline!, Dr. Bridges says that Price showed very little physical signs of rape turn! I.L.D. ) FBI in Detroit incident spreads quickly ; the Jackson Sentinel... The events of the Scottsboro Boys airs Weems are tried, convicted, and his in! 27: Haywood Patterson 's case Williams III Americana Collection, University of Alabama what was the image! Given to Victoria Price, and nine African-American teenagers, ages 12 19! 22: the NAACP: a letter from Ruby Bates charge the young men drew North and South their! Officer 's throat while being transported back to Birmingham jail, Ozie Powell 's rape charges Olen... Graves meets with the I.L.D. ) 27: the Trials of nine! Job in new York sets the sentence is a small town in Alabama of raping two women! They would become known, were placed on trial, Dr. Bridges says Price! To fall ill, leaving Leibowitz to lead the defense motion for Trials! July 12-16: the cases of the defendants were denied the right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment recommended. News accounts and editorials of the NAACP withdraws from the train they were taken to Scottsboro, Alabama, the!
Icap Ranking In World, How To Pronounce Equiangular, Axe Throw Xc2, The Belfry Ryder Cup, Fatal Attraction Nova Henry Funeral, Abs-cbn Movies 2018, Colorado Football 2015, Fresh Food Examples, Are There Bull Sharks In South Australia,