Modern-Day Witch Hunts: The Trials of the Scottsboro Boys Jessica Singh English III Honors Mrs. Melisse Aiello October 29th, 2015 Jessica Singh Mrs. Melisse Aiello English III Honors October 29th, 2015 Modern-Day Witch Hunts: The Trials of the Scottsboro Boys As shocking as it may seem to hear, witch hunts still exist in modern times. One of the most prevalent examples of a modern day witch hunt was the case of the Scottsboro boys in the 1930s. The Scottsboro case revolved around nine innocent African-American teenagers charged with the gang rape of two white women, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates, on a train in 1931. It dealt with issues of racism, prejudiced juries, and rushed trials, causing it to be cited …show more content…
Although many may argue that the accusations presented by the plaintiffs seemed quite plausible, further investigation proved many such claims to be false. For example, although Price and Bates accused the young African-American men of raping them on the freight train, “the Scottsboro doctor who examined the girls less than two hours after the alleged rapes […] was able to show on cross examination that the girls were both calm, composed, and free of bleeding and vaginal damage” (Linder). The fact that a certified doctor was able to prove that the young women were virtually unhurt after the supposed rapes shows that the girls were lying to the court. Although their claims made sense to the prejudiced judicial system, Price and Bates were simply using their positions in society as young white women to gain unwarranted sympathy from the all-white jury. Because scientific evidence was able to contradict the prosecution’s allegations, it was evident that false accusations were being made by the plaintiffs. Additionally, the young black men were accused of being armed with pistols and knives but one member of the group that searched the defendants testified that he only found one knife, which, after questioning the boy, was revealed to be the property of Victoria Price (Kindig). Price and Bates were obviously hyperbolizing their statements to exhibit the men in a more negative light and gain further support of the opinionated jury. The plaintiffs of the Scottsboro trials provided many false charges against the boys in an attempt to provoke persecution in a classic witch hunt-style
In both The Crucible and in modern day witch hunts, witch hunts are caused out of fear or for personal gain. Jill Schonebelen wrote a research paper on Witchcraft allegations, refugee protection and human rights. Throughout this article, it mentions the persecution of witches today in communities around the globe, mentioning the flashbacks of similar strategies that were used in the past, doing different types of tortures. In Modern days, recent generations have abandoned wonderful traditions. Rather, recollecting others with distasteful memories such as witchcraft.
”(King, 219). The NAACP team continues to gather more lawyers and evidence to support their case in the retrial. Marshall was woken up in the middle of the night with news that Mccall had shot both Groveland boys, Shepherd was dead and Irvin was in the hospital. Mccall claimed the Shepherd needed to pee, so he got out of the car, and then hit Mccall over the head with a flashlight and took off running. The FBI did some investigations of the scene and the evidence makes people suspicious of Mccalls
“She and her companion, Victoria Price, had been gang-raped by the blacks.” Ruby Bates, along with her friend Victoria Price claimed they had been raped by the Scottsboro boys. ‘ Calpurnia sighed. “Old Mr. Bob Ewell accused him of rapin‘ his girl an’ had him arrested an‘ put in jail—” ‘ Bob Ewell accused Tom Robinson was of raping his daughter, Mayella Ewell. Another similarity shared, is that both the plaintiff's witnesses have inconsistent testimonies.
Whether or Not “Witch-Hunts” Were Justifiable “Witch-hunts” take place when a specific group of people, accused of having opinions that are thought to be vile, are searched for and punished. This has happened on multiple accounts all throughout history for a variety of reasons, and is left up to the reader in The Crucible to decide whether or not they were justifiable. Arthur Miller, the writer of the play The Crucible, created this masterpiece in 1953 to portray the events of the Salem Witch Trials which took place in Massachusetts. In the play, there is a group of girls that get caught by the town’s minister for dancing in the forest, where they are eventually blamed for witchcraft. Throughout The Crucible, Miller makes a statement about how witch-hunts took place in Puritan society by showing the beliefs the people of this time had towards witches.
What Caused the Salem Witch Trials Hysteria of 1692? In Exodus 22:18, it proclaims, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live!” In 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, the Puritans believed every word that the Bible said, causing the death of twenty people because they were accused of witchcraft. What caused the panic and alarm that lead to the death of twenty people in Salem?
By the time David got outside the police and ambulance had arrived. The paramedics put their mom on a stretcher, while the firefighters ran inside to get Cassie. A few minutes later the fighters came out holding Cassie in their arms. While the paramedics put Cassie on another stretcher, David looked at Cassie and he knew she was dead. Meanwhile, the firefighters put the fire.
The witch trials in Salem in the year 1692 was a scowling time in American history. The New York Post explains about The Crucible play that “... at a time when America was convulsed by a new epidemic of witchhunting, The Crucible brilliantly explores the threshold between individual guilt and mass hysteria, personal spite and collective evil.” In The Crucible, John Proctor and his wife are hit with many situations which burdens their relationship. While this is going on, many people were being accused as witches for little incidents which they thought would add up to witchcraft. During this time period, the grudges and personal rivalries between people makes these witch trials immoral and unethical.
Nearly anyone from the New England has heard of the famous Salem Witch Trials. A year of persecution, leading to the accusation of nearly 200 citizens of all ages. No one was safe; men, women, children, even pets stood trial and 20 were hung for the supposed crime of witchcraft (Blumberg). 1692 was a year of witch hunting. Most today blame the trials on hysteria, or perhaps a bad case of paranoia.
REVIEW OF LITRATURE A.) SUMMARY SOURCE A Although the whole book had information on the Salem witch trials. The introduction, chapter 1 and 2 and the conclusion had information regarding the research needed • Introduction: states what the Salem witch trials where and who they accused.
I think you have a valid point but with so many people accused of rape, murder, etc... and the number of times someone has been falsely accused of one of these events, backed up logs of DNA tests to go through, evidence being lost or getting mixed up with another individual, so on and so on. I don't think we should have modern day witch hunts just because someone is accused of a crime that they may not have committed. Obviously, it isn't a quick process of being accused but there have been individuals who were convicted of crimes and released decades later, some even being exonerated after their death. We should work harder to get through cases, so that those who have done the crime are actually
Do you have a neighbor that you really just don’t like? In 1600’s Massachusetts, there was a solution! You could tell everyone that they were a witch. Sure it might ruin their life, but hey, they’re out of yours.
In the Salem Witch first instance of witchery is Betty/Elizabeth Parris, along with Abigail Williams when they started to scream and giggle uncontrollably, along with delusions, vomiting, muscle spasms, screaming, and writhing. William Griggs, a physician, diagnosed witchcraftery to the women. Soon, fueled by resentment and paranoia, more and more women were accused of being witches, while the community and system of justice piled up. The Trials had lasted from 1692 to 1693. Some women acted peculiar because of a fungus called “Ergot” that grew on cereals and wheat.
Can you imagine being accused of a crime that you did not commit? This is exactly what happened from June 10th to September 22nd. Twenty innocent women were put to death in a small town by the name of, Salem Boston. This was called the “ Salem Witch Trials.” The Salem Witch Trials were due to a variety of things.
Many complications arise when proving the slave conspiracy in Winthrop D. Jordan 's Tumult and Silence at Second Creek. In Mississippi during the spring and summer of 1861, slaves from Adams County plotted to gain freedom from their owners. Following the unveiling of the conspiracy to the slave-owners, the so-called court proceedings show reason to believe that something went awry. The way the slave-owners arrived at the information of the conspiracy and the way they proceeded in court lead to questions about the legitimacy of the conspiracy. Also, each reply from the slaves resemble each other with uncanny similarity.
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).