"Racism is man's gravest threat to man - the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason" (Abraham Heschel). American History is heavily affected by positive or negative events. Racism is one example of these events that shape our history. Racism has affected many lives in the past as well as present day. The nine kids involved in the Scottsboro trials were greatly affected by racism during their lives. At the end of the Scottsboro trials, American history was definitely changed, some for the worst and some for the better. Americans were changed by the trial as it heightened emotions. The trial united the two races in the North to fight and free the Scottsboro Boys from Southern persecution. Their famous slogan for their campaign was "Black and white unite and fight." A unification of the races had not occurred since the Civil War when they originally fought for the blacks freedoms. The South was mad because they felt judged …show more content…
When the train stopped, there was already a crowd gathered with rope to hang the boys and weapons. These people did not want to wait to hear the story, but were planning on killing the boys because they were black. Instead, the county decided to put the boys on trial and hear them out on their story. When most of the boys were found innocent through a more peaceful way, many more people went home happy as compared to if the boys were just shot or hanged in the moment they got off the train. If they did solve the situation by killing the boys, there would have probably been more killings quickly after between the two races, as well as riots and other violent actions. Clearly, America has been shaped by the Scottsboro trials. Racism was shown to have a heavy impact on Americas history and has changed many lives in past and present years. Events like these, whether positive or negative, are what shapes America's