Scottsboro Trial Research Paper

Kaelyn Daugherty Mr. Pierce Honors English 13 March 2024 Tom is the Scottsboro Tom Robinson is a reflection of the Scottsboro Boys in every way. Tom Robinson is a fictional African American character in To Kill a Mockingbird and he is accused of raping a girl named Mayella Ewell. He is later convicted, even with solid evidence of him not committing the crime. The Scottsboro trial was a trial of nine African American young men who were accused of raping two girls in a tram car. They were convicted guilty with no evidence and later found innocent. These two cases showcase the racism that happened in the South back then. This historical event, the Scottsboro Trials, is symbolized in the book To Kill a Mockingbird within the character Tom Robinson

When you hear the name Scottsboro trial, the first common issue known in the case is the racism that goes on. Elisabeth Cawthon states in her article, “On March 25, 1931, several groups of young people were riding a freight train in northern Alabama. The young men who were accused of rape were teenagers, with the exception of 20-year-old Charlie Weems” (Cawthon 4). The boys were accused of raping two young women on the train. They were put into court and all of them were convicted to life and one to execution. This was heavily racially motivated as even the two young girls kept changing their story. They were also examined by a doctor and the doctor had reported no evidence of rape or marks from the attacks. This is an important historical event that we need to cover before continuing with the topic of symbolism. The Scottsboro Trials and Tom Robinson were both wrongfully accused of raping white women. They had standing information that supported the Scottsboro boys had not raped the women, but it was ignored and pushed aside. Atticus had proved Tom could not beat Mayella as he didn't have a left arm, but for the Scottsboro Boys it was