The Scottsboro Boys Revisited
It’s the story of nine young black boys who changed the course of history, by impacting laws all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Scottsboro Boys. We’ve heard the name, but many of us are still learning the story.
It’s the story of nine young black boys who changed the course of history, by impacting laws all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The ages of the young boys ranging in age from 13 to 19. They were falsely accused of rape and most of them were sentenced to death more than once.
The Scottsboro Boys Who were they?
These are their names:
“I love the story about Andy because he had been a good student. His father died, so he had to go to work,” said Peggy Allen Towns, author of ‘Scottsboro Unmasked: Decatur’s Story.
“Eugene Williams, he was the second youngest,” said Towns.
“[Weems] He was the oldest. He was nineteen. [Norris] who was actually on his way to Sheffield, Alabama,” said Towns.
“Montgomery. He was nearly blind, was traveling to Memphis to get glasses.”
Norris’ son, also named Clarence Norris, sees history repeat itself ninety-one years later. "I see these things happening now with Ahmaud Arbery, which is not too far down from me, down in Brunswick," said Norris.
"It breaks my heart, and these families have to deal with the after-effects of losing their loved ones to something unjust," said Norris.
FOX54 News’ Keneisha Deas sat Towns at the Morgan County Archives. Towns explains how the Scottsboro Boys became a name.
The Arrests The Scottsboro Boys' arrests
"March 1931, hoboes jump a train in Chattanooga, Tennessee. And just as the train begins to go into Alabama, a fight ensues between the Black and White hoboes," said Towns.
Towns said the White men who hopped or were forced off the train reported the fight to law enforcement in Stevenson.
A call from the Sheriff allowed citizens to become deputized in Paint Rock and stop the train.
"When the train stops, they pull nine Blacks off. They herd them onto a truck and carry them to Scottsboro," said Towns.
However, of the three white men who remained on the train: "Two were women, disguised as men. Men overalls, caps, capes, and everything. They were Ruby Bates and Victoria Price."
This is when the women falsely accused the boys of rape, because of what was called the ‘Mann Act’. "You would get arrested for crossing state lines for immoral purposes," said Towns.
The Trials The Scottsboro Boys trials and retrials
The first trial was in Scottsboro, but, "All of the Scottsboro Boys trials were held in Decatur but the first…So from 1933 to 1937 all of the retrials were held here. "
An all-white jury in the first trials founds eight boys guilty and sentenced them to death a month after accusations. The trial of the ninth and youngest ended in a hung jury when they couldn’t agree on a sentence.
The Legacy Changes in the justice system
"From these trials came two landmark Supreme Court rulings. The first is that you have to have competent attorneys in a criminal case, and the second is that you have to have a jury of your peers," said
Four of the boys’ charges were dropped, four others were released. Another died while serving time for an unrelated charge.
“They were everyday, ordinary people, living in extraordinary situations and they were living through history, so we today sometimes are living through historical moments, very significant moments that we don’t see except with the passage of times,” said Morgan County Archivist John Allison.
"It's slow, but we do see a shift in our justice system now, I think," said Towns.
"I have faith in humanity, and I love my fellow man out of all colors and creeds," said Norris.
By 2013, all boys were pardoned by Alabama State Representatives. At the time, Governor Robert Bentley said this:
"In one of the worst forms of tyranny and injustice, after years of trials and convictions, the Scottsboro Boys are finally clear and it is important to clear their names."
RELATED: Remembering the Scottsboro Boys
See more images and learn more about the nine boys at the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
More information is also available at The Scottsboro Boys Museum.
Scottsboro Boys historic images
