Scottsboro Boys
Nine black teens wrongly accused of rape in 1931 Alabama.
In 1931, nine Black teenagers were charged with raping a white woman and a 17-year-old white girl in Alabama. The legal cases that followed became a landmark example of racism and the denial of a fair trial. Before the suspects were even formally accused, a lynch mob gathered. The trials featured all-white juries, were rushed, and took place amid disruptive crowds. The case is often held up as a clear instance of injustice within the U.S. legal system.
On March 25, 1931, about two dozen people—half Black, half white—were illegally riding a freight train from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Memphis. A group of white riders picked up rocks and tried to force all the Black teenagers off the train but failed. The white teenagers, humiliated, either jumped or were pushed off. They then told a nearby train master that Black boys had attacked them. Police stopped and searched the train in Paint Rock, Alabama, arresting the Black teenagers. Two young white women were also taken to jail, where they accused the Black boys of rape.
The case was first heard in Scottsboro, Alabama, in three quick trials with poor legal representation. All but 14-year-old Roy Wright were found guilty of rape and sentenced to death—the standard punishment in Alabama at the time for a Black man convicted of raping a white woman—despite no medical evidence of rape. The Alabama Supreme Court upheld seven of the eight convictions but granted 13-year-old Eugene Williams a new trial because he was a minor. The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case twice, issuing landmark rulings on trial procedures. In *Powell v. Alabama* (1932), the Court ordered new trials. During one retrial, one of the alleged victims admitted she had made up the rape story and said none of the defendants had touched either woman. Still, the jury found the defendants guilty, but the judge set aside the verdict and ordered another trial. A new judge was assigned, and the case was tried again. For the third time, a jury—now including one Black member—returned a guilty verdict. The case went back to the Supreme Court, which ruled that Black citizens must be allowed on juries and ordered new trials. Eventually, charges were dropped for four of the nine defendants. The other five were convicted and sentenced to 75 years to death, though the death sentence was soon reduced to life in prison with parole.
The Scottsboro Boys case is widely seen as a legal injustice, especially because the state used all-white juries. Since the Reconstruction era, Black people in Alabama had been barred from voting, so they were also excluded from jury duty, as jurors were chosen from voter rolls. The case has been depicted in many books, songs, plays, films, and TV shows. On November 21, 2013, Alabama’s parole board voted to grant posthumous pardons to the three Scottsboro Boys who had not already been pardoned or had their convictions overturned.
On March 25, 1931, nine Black teenage males were riding a freight train on the Southern Railway line between Chattanooga and Memphis, along with several white males and two white females. A fight broke out near the Lookout Mountain tunnel, and the white riders were thrown off the train. They reported to a sheriff in Paint Rock, Alabama, that they had been attacked. The sheriff gathered a posse and ordered them to “capture every Negro on the train.” The posse arrested all Black passengers for assault.
The nine Black teenagers were: Haywood Patterson (18), who said he had ridden freight trains so long he could light a cigarette on top of a moving one; Clarence Norris (19), who left ten siblings in rural Georgia; Charles “Charlie” Weems (19); brothers James Andrew “Andy” Wright (19) and Leroy R. “Roy” Wright (14), leaving home for the first time; nearly blind Olen Montgomery (17), hoping to earn money for glasses; Ozie Powell (16); Willie Roberson (16), who had severe syphilis and could barely walk; and Eugene Williams (13). Only four of them knew each other before boarding.
Two white females were also on the train: 21-year-old Victoria Price and 17-year-old Ruby Bates. They told a posse member they had been raped by a group of Black teenagers. The posse took the women to the jail where the accused were held, and the women identified them as their attackers. A doctor examined Price and Bates but found no evidence of rape. A widely published photo showed the two women shortly after the arrests.
There was no evidence besides the women’s testimony pointing to the defendants’ guilt, but that did not matter because of the deep racism in the South at the time. Black men were constantly watched by white men for any sign of sexual interest in white women, which could lead to lynching. Price and Bates may have claimed rape to avoid police attention: as suspected prostitutes, they risked arrest and prosecution under the Mann Act for crossing a state line “for immoral purposes.”
In the Jim Crow South, lynching of Black men accused of raping or murdering whites was common.
- accused
- 9 African American male teenagers
- ages
- 13 to 19 years old
- accusation
- rape of two white females
- location
- Scottsboro, Alabama
- year
- 1931
- known_for
- landmark legal cases on racism and fair trial
- outcome
- convictions, death sentences, later overturned; posthumous pardons in 2013
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
On March 25, 1931, two dozen people were 'hoboing' on a freight train traveling between Chattanooga and Memphis, Tennessee. The hoboes were an equal mix of blacks and whites. A group of whites gathered rocks and attempted to force all the black teenagers from the train, but were unsuccessful. The humiliated white teenagers jumped or were forced off the train and reported to a nearby train master that they had been attacked by a group of black teenage boys. Shortly thereafter, the police stopped and searched the train at Paint Rock, Alabama and arrested the black teenage boys. Two young white females were also taken to the jail, where they accused the African American teenage boys of rape. The case was first heard in Scottsboro, Alabama, in three rushed trials, in which the defendants received poor legal representation. All but 14-year-old Roy Wright were convicted of rape and sentenced to death (the common sentence in Alabama at the time for black men convicted of raping white women), even though there was no medical evidence indicating that rape had taken place. The Alabama Supreme Court affirmed seven of the eight convictions and granted 13-year-old Eugene Williams a new trial because he was a minor. The cases were twice appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which led to landmark decisions on the conduct of trials. In Powell v. Alabama (1932), the Supreme Court ordered new trials. During the retrials, one alleged victim admitted to fabricating the rape story and asserted that none of the Scottsboro Boys touched either of the alleged victims. The jury still found the defendants guilty, but the judge set aside the verdict and granted a new trial. The judge was replaced and the case retried. For the third time, a jury—now with one African American member—returned a guilty verdict. The case was sent to the Supreme Court on appeal. It ruled that African Americans had to be included on juries and ordered the cases be retried. Charges were finally dropped for four of the nine defendants. The other five were convicted and received sentences ranging from 75 years to death, although the sentence was soon commuted to life imprisonment with parole.
Reader's Guide
The case of the Scottsboro Boys is widely considered a legal injustice, highlighted by the state's use of all-white juries. African Americans in Alabama had been disenfranchised since the Reconstruction era and thus were not allowed on juries because jurors were selected from voter rolls. The case has also been explored in many works of literature, music, theater, film and television. On November 21, 2013, Alabama's parole board voted to grant posthumous pardons to the three Scottsboro Boys who had not been pardoned or had their convictions overturned. The nine black teenagers were: Haywood Patterson (age 18), Clarence Norris (age 19), Charles 'Charlie' Weems (age 19), brothers James Andrew 'Andy' Wright (age 19) and Leroy R. 'Roy' Wright (age 14), Olen Montgomery (age 17), Ozie Powell (age 16), Willie Roberson (age 16), and Eugene Williams (age 13). Of the nine, only four knew each other prior to boarding. Two white females were also aboard: 21-year-old Victoria Price and 17-year-old Ruby Bates. A doctor was summoned to examine Price and Bates for signs of rape; none was found. A lynch mob gathered at the jail in Scottsboro, demanding the youths be surrendered to them. Sheriff Matt Wann stood in front of the jail and addressed the mob, saying he would kill the first person to come through the door. He walked through the mob and the crowd parted to let him through. He telephoned governor Benjamin M. Miller, who mobilized the Alabama Army National Guard to protect the jail. The prisoners were taken to court by 118 Alabama guardsmen armed with machine guns. For each trial, all-white juries were selected. The first trial took a day and a half, and the rest took place one right after the other, in just one day. The only attorney who volunteered was 69-year-old Milo Moody, who had not defended a case in decades. The judge persuaded Stephen Roddy, a Chattanooga, Tennessee real estate lawyer, to assist him. Roddy admitted he had not had time to prepare and was not familiar with Alabama law.
Did You Know?
- The nine black teenagers ranged in age from 13 to 19: Haywood Patterson (18), Clarence Norris (19), Charles Weems (19), James Andrew Wright (19), Leroy Wright (14), Olen Montgomery (17), Ozie Powell (16), Willie Roberson (16), and Eugene Williams (13).
- A doctor examined Victoria Price and Ruby Bates for signs of rape and found none.
- During the retrials, one alleged victim admitted to fabricating the rape story and said none of the Scottsboro Boys touched either of them.
- Sheriff Matt Wann faced down a lynch mob by walking through the crowd unarmed, saying he would kill the first person to come through the jail door.
- On November 21, 2013, Alabama's parole board voted to grant posthumous pardons to the three Scottsboro Boys who had not been pardoned or had their convictions overturned.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the Scottsboro Boys?
The Scottsboro Boys refers to nine African American male teenagers, aged 13 to 19, who were accused in 1931 of raping two white women aboard a train in Alabama. They became a lasting symbol of racial injustice in the American legal system.
What happened in the Scottsboro Boys case?
In 1931, nine Black teenagers were arrested and charged with a sexual assault involving two white females near Scottsboro, Alabama. The incident triggered a landmark series of court proceedings that exposed deep-seated racism in the justice system.
Where and when did the Scottsboro Boys incident take place?
The events unfolded in 1931 in Scottsboro, Alabama, when the group of nine young Black men was accused of assaulting two white women on a train. The case rapidly escalated into a nationally scrutinized legal battle.
Why is the Scottsboro Boys case considered important in American history?
It is commonly cited as a defining example of legal injustice rooted in racism within the United States courts. The proceedings sparked landmark debates over the right to a fair trial, adequate legal counsel, and the influence of racial bias in jury selection.
How old were the Scottsboro Boys at the time of the accusation?
The nine accused teenagers ranged from 13 to 19 years old when they were arrested in 1931. Their youth became a central point of contention throughout the lengthy and highly publicized legal proceedings.
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