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The Train Ride
On a train, a fight breaks out between some white boys and some blacks. When the train is stopped, the boys are arrested for assault. Next two white girls come off the train and claim they were raped. The nine black boys are then taken to Scottsboro, Alabama. -
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The Communities Reaction
After the trials end, the community is shocked. People are upset that the boys did not get lawyers, how they were treated based on their age and how harsh their punishments were going to be. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and The International Labor Defense ask to represent the boys and raise money for their trials. -
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First Trial
Clarence Norris and Charlie Weems are convicted and sentenced to death. -
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First Trial
Haywood Patterson is convicted and sentenced to death. -
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First Trial
Olen Montgomery, Ozie Powell, Willie Roberson, Eugene Williams, and Andy Wright are convicted and sentenced to death. -
First Trial
One of the boys, Roy Wright, was convicted. However his trial was a hung jury, a jury that couldnt agree on a sentence. Eleven members of the jury voted that Roy be sentenced to death and one voted for life in prison -
Convictions
The Alabama Supreme Court decides to keep the convictions of all except one of the Scottsboro boys. Eugene Williams is allowed another trial because he was a juvenile at the time of the crime. -
The Fourteenth Amendment
The U.S Supreme Court decides that the boys were denied lawyers and since it is against the Fourteenth Amendment, they send the case to a lower court. -
Surprise Witness
At Haywood Patterson's second trial, Ruby Bates comes forward and says she was with Victoria Price the entire ride and they were not raped. However Haywood Patterson is sentenced to death by the electric chair. -
Unfair Decison
Judge Horton decides to give Haywood Patterson another trial because he believes with everything going on in the town, no one is making a fair decsion. -
New Court
These cases are no longer under Judge Horton and are now under Judge Callahan. -
Trial Again
The oldest seven boys appear in Callahan's court. The youngest two, Roy Wright and Eugene Williams, are put in juvenile court. -
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Sentences For Some Of The Boys
After appeal, Clarence Norris is sentenced to death. Andy Wright is sentenced to 99 years in prison. Charlie Weems is sentenced to 75 years and Ozzie Powell is sentenced to 20 years. -
Some Are Released
Roy Wright, Eugene Williams, Olen Montgomery and Willie Roberson had the charges against them dropped and were allowed to go. -
The End
The governer of Alabama signs a paper officially clearing the nine Scottsboro boys.
Websites used for information.
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_chron.html
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=1126
