Scottsboro 9

In Spring of 1931, nine African American teenagers were accused of raping two white women on a train going from Chattanooga to Memphis. The accused were arrested for assault and held in Scottsboro for 12 days before the trials began. Accusations were made by Victoria Price and Ruby Bates and rape charges were added to all 9 young men.

Eight of the nine boys were found guilty and sentenced to death, while one case resulted in a life sentence. After an appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court, seven of the boys were still sentenced to death. However, an appeal to the US Supreme Court reversed the convictions of the boys due to inadequate assistance of the counsel by Alabama. A series of retrials and appeals occurred over the next 15 years. Eventually, all of the accused were paroled, pardoned, escaped prison, or were not convicted.