Scottsboro Case Essay, Research Paper

What happens when society as a whole despises black people, and wish nothing but the worst for them? In the Scottsboro Trial that is what happened. Twelve young black males were accused of raping two white females on a train. The societies values are looked at in this case and whether or not the values in the nineteen thirties was as amiable as they wanted to be perceived.

In the Scottsboro Trial Victoria Price was asked to testify against her assailants, and tell the court what they wanted to hear. Victoria Price was bribed with money from the Sheriff to say that she was raped by the black males that were on the train (127). The other girl that was supposedly raped was seventeen years old her name was Ruby Bates. She also was bribed by the sheriff to give a false testimony to the court to ensure the death of these black men. In the state of Alabama it was a guarantee that any black man accused of rape would face the harshest penalty there was which in these cases was death (119). No matter what the facts said the men were going to die even if they were innocent (119). There is no sense of values in society in the trial of the Scottsboro case. There are just a bunch of white aristocrats that are looking for another way to perform an act of ethnic cleansing so that their race will stand out predominately over any other.

One person who did demonstrate good judgement and values was the judge. This one person jeopardized his whole political career to see that just was served, and was served right (135). The judge James E. Horton risked his all to bring justice to this case. He deliberated over the evidence that was presented, and after seeing the letter that stated that Victoria Price did lie on the stand made the case that much easier to reign over.

Victoria Price was shown to have no moral values at all. It was noted that she told the white people that were in jail with her that they should go with her story because they would get off on a lighter sentence (134). Also it is noted that Victoria Price was sworn to say that six men raped her. Later when a Dr. Edward E. Reisman was called to the stand it was proven that Mrs. Price could not have been raped because there were no active deposits of semen in her vagina (125). The only specimen that was found in her was that of a dead specimen her husband deposited that supposedly (126). Dr. Bridges stated that if the women were raped that they would have had more fatal images on there body then what they had (130).

Victoria Price demonstrated a hoax to gain the appeal of the court. What might have prompted some of these actions? One of them might be the fact that it was very hard for her to find work during this time, and she was looking for a free handout from the people around her. Another conclusion to this might be that she was a racist and that she wanted to also help purify her surrounding area and make it where there less black men in that immediate area. No matter what her motive was it was immoral and from reading this trial it was the way of life in the south when it came down to the races. Just because a person is a different color then people would do anything that they could possibly do to eradicate them from existence. But to no avail truth and justice came through in the end to seal the fate for the aggressor and allow the hunted that did nothing wrong to live on in peace.