What Are The Similarities Between To Kill A Mockingbird And The Scottsboro Trials

Black men are six times as likely as white men to be incarcerated in federal prisons and local jails. This kind of injustice is the reason why cases like The Scottsboro Boys case, where nine boys were falsely accused of rape, exist. This is also why books like To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee are made. In both of these trials, they highlight the injustice of blacks during the 1930’s. The alleged rape victims in To Kill a Mockingbird and The Scottsboro Trials share similarities in their backgrounds, testimonies, and personalities.
The events surrounding the Scottsboro case began on March 25, 1931. While on a train from Chattooga to Memphis, Nine boys allegedly raped Ruby Bates and Victoria Price (Linder, “The Trial of the ‘Scottsboro Boys’”).

Mayella was hysterical and Victoria was comical. As Victoria told her side of the story during the trials, Victoria told the story of the trip to Chattanooga and back with gusto snaps and wise cracks, she had the court room in a roar of laughter (Ransdall). Whereas Mayella told her side of her story more emotionally, “Mayella stared at him and burst into tears she covered her mouth with her hands and sobbed” (Lee 240). This shows that instead of being like Victoria she chose to act as if she was devastated rather then get the jury on her side with laughter. A similarity is they both have elaborate fabricated stories. Victoria easily made up the story of alleged rape. She alleged that Charlie Weems was the leader and carried a pistol, but that Clarence Norris was the first to attack. He was followed by the other boys that took turns holding she claimed (Ransdall). Mayella also had a story she said, “He got me round the neck, cussin me an’ sayin’ dirt – fought and I hollered but he had me round the neck. He hit me agin an agin” (Lee 241). In her words this is how the alleged rape took place showing how he began to abuse