The Scottsboro Case: Heywood Patterson Appeals His Death Sentence. The Afro American, Baltimore, MD, December 8, 1934.
In 1931, nine black youths who became known as the “Scottsboro Boys” were falsely accused of raping two white girls riding on the same freight train in 1930. Heywood Patterson was sentenced to death by an all-white jury, prompting calls for a retrial, and papers were drawn up to have the case referred to the Supreme Court. Although doctors called in found no evidence of rape, eight of the boys were convicted and sentenced to death. Between 1931 and 1937, the Scottsboro Case was appealed to the Supreme Court three times. The case attracted black leaders and groups, liberal whites, and the American Communist Party which held big rallies and sponsored the boy’s legal defense counsel.
In the final set of trials beginning in 1937, Alabama finally dropped all charges against the four youngest defendants, however the other five were convicted and received sentences ranging from 20 years to life. By the time Gov. George Wallace pardoned all nine in 1976, only one was still living. Collectively, the “Scottsboro Boys” endured over 100 years of incarceration.