February 22, 2010

In many ways, the United

States still struggles with
being a multicultural society.
What do you think we should
do to make the US a
multicultural society? Do you
think it is even possible?
Homework
 Work on your project
 Due on Tuesday
March 5
 You may hand it in
early if you want
 If you haven’t already,
tell me IN WRITING
what you’re going to
do, do it now
Review
 Remember the essay I
assigned a while
back?
 Due Wednesday
 If you have it I will take
it today
 If you need a new
sheet listing the topics
I have them
Jim Crow
 I have been told that
there is some
disagreement as to
whether Jim Crow was
a person
 Jim Crow was a
fictional minstrel
character, not a real
person
The Scottsboro Boys
 Happened during the
Great Depression
 The “Boys” had been
riding a freight train,
travelling to try to find
work
 This was very
common in the
Depression
Fight on the train
 White men on the
train got into a fight
with the African
Americans – and
lost
 They left the train
and contacted the
local sheriff, saying
they wished to
press charges
Two women were on the train
 One claimed she had
been raped by 9 of the
“Boys”
 Possibly this was done
to get them out of
charges of prostitution
and vagrancy
 One later recanted her
claim
The “Boys” were nearly lynched
 The local sheriff did
defend the 12
 The National Guard
was called out, and a
lynching was averted
 They were tried in
Scottsboro in front of
all white juries
The Scottsboro boys were convicted
 Rape against a white
woman for an African
American was a death
sentence
 Their convictions were
upheld by the
Alabama Supreme
Court
 The convictions were overturned by
the US Supreme Court
 Twice
 First, because the
defendants did not
have adequate access
to lawyers
 Second, because
African Americans
were excluded from
the jury
They were convicted a third time
 Some were, anyway
 None got the death
penalty this time
 All were released
within 10-12 years
 One, Haywood
Patterson, was re
arrested in Michigan
and died in prison
The Last
Scottsboro Boy
 Died in 1989
 Clarence Norris
 He was pardoned in
1976
 The Scottsboro case
is acknowledged as a
great injustice by
almost everyone