The Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center profiles the legal events that led to what many consider the beginning of the civil rights movement in America. The museum, which opened in February 2010, tells the story of nine black teenagers who were accused and tried in 1931 for the rape of two white women. The trials resulted in two landmark decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court dealing with the right to a fair trial.
On March 25, 1931 several people were hoboing on a freight train bound from Chattanooga to Memphis. While passing through northern Alabama, a group of white boys jumped off the train and reported that they had been attacked by a group of black teenagers on the train. The train was stopped and searched at Paint Rock, Alabama, and nine young black boys were arrested. Two white girls on the train then accused the black boys of rape. Shortly after the arrests the cases were tried in nearby Scottsboro. The defense attorneys were given very little time to prepare the cases, and they had little experience in criminal law. The juries in the cases were all white. All but one boy, 12 year old Roy Wright, were convicted of rape and sentenced to death. When the cases were appealed, the Alabama Supreme Court upheld seven of the eight convictions. Eugene Williams, a 13 year old defendant, was granted a new trial because he was a juvenile. A change of venue was granted for the retrials, and one of the women even admitted to making up the rape story. Juries again found all the young men guilty. Two of the cases were appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which handed down two landmark decisions. The cases established the principles that criminal defendants are entitled to effective assistance of counsel and that people cannot be excluded from juries based on their race.
Scottsboro
The cases were sent back to the lower courts for retrial, and the defendants were again found guilty. The appeals and retrials lasted six years. The charges were eventually dropped for four of the nine defendants, although all but two of the young men had served prison sentences. While in prison one of the boys was shot by a prison guard. Two of the boys escaped but were caught and returned to prison. Clarence Norris, the oldest defendant, was pardoned by Gov. George Wallace in 1976 and wrote a book about the events.
The Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center is located in the historic Joyce Chapel United Methodist Church at 428 West Willow Street in Scottsboro. The museum is open the 2nd and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 10am-4pm. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. The museum is dedicated to the nine young men and their struggle against racism. It is both inspiring and educational.
The Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center
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