ipl-logo

Police Brutality In The 1930's

1099 Words5 Pages

1930-1950 Over the years the face of police brutality has changed. The face of police brutality in the early 1900’s is different than what you would think of as police brutality in today’s society. Part of this change is due to the credibility of a black person’s testimony in the eyes of the law. In the 1930’s black people technically the same rights as their white counterparts but were not treated in the same way. Without the technology of the 21st century a conviction was often based off of the testimony of a white police officer or white bystander. This led to a large number of black people being arrested for crimes they never committed. Pre-civil rights movement police brutality was unfair trials and false witnesses because of the change …show more content…

In March of 1931 nine black boys were riding a train in Tennessee. A group of white boys who had also been on the train got off and told the police that the boys on the train had raped two white girls. When questioned the girls also said that they had been raped and all nine boys were arrested. Unlike Leonard Basey the Scottsboro Boys were given a trial. While they were given a trial it was definitely not a fair one. The boys received bad legal representation, rushed trials, and all-white juries. The first time the boys were tried in court all but one of them was found guilty and sentenced to death. At the time a death sentence was a common punishment given to black men for any crime. Eight of the nine boys were sentenced to death even after medical evidence had proved that they had not raped the women on the train. The case was then appealed and retried for the Alabama Supreme Court. This trial resulted in seven of the eight boys being convicted again with one boy being let off because he was younger. This trial, Powell v. Alabama, shaped the way juries are selected since the Scottsboro Boys had originally been given a biased jury. The case was then sent back down to lower courts in Alabama to go on trial again. This time around one of the alleged rape victims admitted to lying about the rape; she said that the boys had not touched either of the white girls. Even with this confession seven of the seven boys on trial were found guilty. The final time the boys were tried four of the nine boys were convicted and given sentences ranging from 75 years in prison to

Show More
Related

  • Naacp Vs Heller Case Summary

    563 Words  | 3 Pages

    The court cases were rushed through and they were all sentenced to death. The boys lawyers barely defended them and merely showed up. This violated the due process of law (14th

    Read More

  • The Case Of Tom Robinson And Scottsboro Trial

    823 Words  | 4 Pages

    “When one of the accused, Clarence Norris, called the girls liars he was struck by a bayonet”(Linder 2). By reading this you can see they were treated with force. Tom was treated somewhat the same as the boys. “He stood up and pointed his finger at Tom Robinson. I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my mayella”( Lee 175).

    Read More

  • Scottsboro Boys Research Paper

    687 Words  | 3 Pages

    If the boys had hopped a train up in the North, none of this would have ever happened. If they even went to court in the North, they probably would have gotten a more fair trial. The trials were very prejudiced like most places in the South. Unfortunately, these boys were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some people look at this at the wrong angle.

    Read More

  • What Is The Jury's Verdict For The Tom Robinson Trial

    1537 Words  | 7 Pages

    The jury’s verdict for the Tom Robinson trial was guilty. The reasons why the verdict was guilty, is simply because they were racist. They all heard clear evidence on how Tom was guilty from Atticus, but if anyone on the jury were to disagree that a black man was innocent, they would have been shamed by the whole county. This case is based off of the real world trial involving the 9 black boys who were accused of raping 2 white women on a train, in Scottsboro. These boys were ranged from 13 to 20 years old, and everyone was put on death row, except the minor who got life in prison.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Scottsboro Boys And To Kill A Mockingbird

    651 Words  | 3 Pages

    Yes, he hit—I just don’t remember, I just don’t remember… it all happened so quick.” Mayella repeatedly contradicts herself when asked if Tom Robinson hit her. Even with such discrepancy, the defendants are ultimately found guilty. “The jury nonetheless returned five more death sentences.” All 9 of the Scottsboro boys were found guilty, 8 of which received the death penalty.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Scottsboro Trial And Tom Robinson's Trial

    878 Words  | 4 Pages

    Overall these innocent men deserved more than what they recieved, an unfair treatment in and out of the courtroom. Both cases had African American men that were judged by a jury of all white people and because they raped a woman. If they lost this case it meant they would receive the death penalty. This was always going to be an unfair trial. In To kill a Mockingbird it is said that “A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted,

    Read More

  • The Scottsboro Trials And To Kill A Mockingbird Comparison Essay

    1671 Words  | 7 Pages

    The Scottsboro Trials and To Kill a Mockingbird In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the famous father named Atticus says “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it (Judith 2).  This quote is said during a time of intense racism. “Not long after Obama took office, the National Urban League released its 2009 State of Black America report. The findings showed that racial inequities continued in employment, housing, health care, education, criminal justice, and other areas” (Buckley 1).  This essay will primarily focus on the criminal justice area of this when discussing the Scottsboro trials and comparing the trials to the famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

    Read More

  • Police Brutality In The 80's

    182 Words  | 1 Pages

    African Americans complained about police brutality but there were not cell phone cameras to capture the officers’ actions. So, if the case went to court it was a “he say she say battle”, and the police officer will win that battle. Unless you have experienced police brutality or racial profiling (DWB), you wouldn’t understand their complaints. Majority of the population couldn’t relate to what these African Americans were enduring. Not until the video of the Rodney King beating surfaced in March, 1991, police brutality

    Read More

  • Could Atticus Win The Scottsboro Trial Persuasive Essay

    386 Words  | 2 Pages

    When a case is with a black and a white the white always wins. Black men from the Scottsboro Trials in 1931-1948 were sent to prison and executed because they were accused of rape. “Eight of the nine men got executed and the ninth could not because he was to young” (The Scottsboro Trials, The First Trial).

    Read More

  • Police Brutality In The Black Community

    1111 Words  | 5 Pages

    This report is showing light to the communities’ response to police brutality particularly in the black communities and also their encounters with police officers. Police brutality is physical violence and great cruelty demonstrated by a police officer. Police brutality and misconduct have existed for many decades and it even has been broadcasted in news stories over America, but nothing has changed. It has happened predominantly to African Americans in lower-income states. Police officers are given slaps on the wrist for taking a life or injuring an innocent person.

    Read More

  • Scottsboro Boys Trial Research Paper

    1642 Words  | 7 Pages

    The book “To Kill a Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee and the article “Scottsboro Boys Trial” both contain controversial court cases. For “To Kill a Mockingbird” a black male named Tom Robinson was accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell. In the “Scottsboro Boys Trial” nine young black men and teenagers are accused of raping two white females named Victoria Price and Ruby Bates. Both cases transpired in the 1930s in Alabama. This is bad for the accused as racism was at an all-time in the 1930s especially in the deep south.

    Read More

  • Injustice: The Scottsboro Case

    1657 Words  | 7 Pages

    Therefore, if one was colored the trial wouldn’t be in their favor. The trials either would end in the conviction of death or the least likely, time in prison. In the Scottsboro Case and the book To Kill a Mockingbird the victims lived hard lives and were influenced by others. Aside from that the physical evidence was weak as well as the testimonies. The Scottsboro Case was the only crime in American History to produce many trials, convictions, and retrials as the alleged rape of two white girls by nine black teenagers on March 25, 1931 (Linder).

    Read More

  • Police Brutality Annotated Bibliography Summary

    1391 Words  | 6 Pages

    • This book will be useful in talking about different cases that occurred at the beginning of the decade and how these cases started the awareness of police brutality in the 1990s. Adding some different viewpoints that this book provides will

    Read More

  • Police Brutality Argumentative Essay

    760 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to the article Racism and Police Brutality in America, “Whites believe that Blacks are disproportionately inclined to engage in criminal behavior and are the deserving on harsh treatment by the criminal justice system” (Chaney 484). The justice system has unfortunately followed this idea. The African American race has been a minority in the legal system in the past; however, it has been much worse as of 2015. Some individuals assume it is acceptable to refrain from acknowledging this fact. Racism is an issue in the midst of police brutality, and it should be resolved.

    Read More

  • Research Paper On Police Brutality

    892 Words  | 4 Pages

    Police Brutality is an ongoing problem and existent concern in the United States and should be resolved immediately. Law enforcement must function as an element that consists of organized and civilized officers. The presence of police brutality is becoming more of an issue as society grows. The problem posed by the illegal exercise of police power is an ongoing reality for individuals of a disfavored race, class, or sexual orientation. Police brutality must be stopped so that police do not forget who they are serving – not themselves, but the public.

    Read More

More about Police Brutality In The 1930's

Open Document