XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX US History 2 March 2014 Trials of the Roaring Twenties Following the Progressive Era and World

War I, changes in many social issues became widespread throughout America. As with any change, the cultural reforms met resistance along the way from those who werent as supportive of altering their lifestyles. As some changes became more and more radical, disputes in morals, racial discrimination, and education between the old and new increased general tension throughout, leading to numerous trials that would test American opinions. In the Black Sox Trial of 1921, the 1919 Chicago White Sox team was accused of throwing the World Series in exchange for money from gamblers. The trial involved Chick Gandil, the ringleader, who demanded $80,000 from professional gambler Joseph Sullivan (Linder, Black Sox). Soon after, Gandil involved numerous other members of the team into the scandal. The wronged party in the trial in 1921 was player John F. Collins, who claims the scandal cost him $1,784. When the trial concluded, all suspected members ended up not guilty, though all of them were subsequently banned from professional baseball. During this period, baseball became increasingly popular in America, so the scandal was significant to many people. This popularity of baseball is the cause of such high tensions resulting from the scandal, causing people to argue about the declining morals and increasing materialism of America. The few members of the baseball team werent the only ones involved in the scandal. People involved in the whole operation included the gamblers, the players, the teams coach, and even the press, who didnt want the public to lose faith in baseball (Linder, Black Sox). The tension was manifested in the weeks after the trial verdict and the banning of the players. The scandal was on the front page of newspapers throughout America and begged questions such as whether the immoral actions of Joe Jackson should discredit him from being admitted into the Hall of Fame. Another trial that occurred during the Roaring Twenties of America was the more serious case of Sacco and Vanzetti. On April 15, 1920, two men, Parmenter and Berardelli, were murdered and robbed at a shoe factory. Two suspects, Sacco and Vanzetti, were tried for the murder. The trial included lots of conflicting evidence, though there were more witnesses

testifying that they were innocent as well as verification from defendants that Sacco was away at the time of the murder (Frankfurter). Still, the two were both eventually convicted and sentenced to death anyways. The doubts involved in the case contrasting the decision to convict Sacco and Vanzetti demonstrates racial tensions in America at the time. The increased tension towards Italians rose mainly due to American contempt towards immigration, which caused job competition among urban workers. Another common belief as to why they were sentenced despite conflicting evidence was that they were anarchists (DAttilio). In the 1920s, many Americans developed a fear of communism and other radical politics in response to the Bolshevik Russian Revolution of 1917, leading the jury and judge to evaluate Sacco and Vanzetti through personal prejudice (The Sacco-Vanzetti Case). Whether Sacco and Vanzetti were the true criminals may never be completely certain, but Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis in 1977 conceded that they did not receive a fair trial (The Sacco-Vanzetti Case). Perhaps even more tragic and bringing even more tension to America than The SaccoVanzetti Case was the trial of Leopold and Loeb. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were both highly privileged individuals: Richard skipped many grades and was the youngest ever to graduate from the University of Michigan, and Nathan was also highly intelligent, a child prodigy who spoke at four months and an expert ornithologist at the time of the crime (Linder, Leopold). Still, they somehow ended up as murderers, killing a completely innocent fourteenyear old victim. In the trial, Leopold and Loeb were defended by Clarence Darrow, a famous and skilled attorney. In his twelve hour speech, Darrow beautifully and eloquently attacked the death penalty, discussing science, emotion, and philosophy, and in the end, Judge Caverly decided to sentence the two to life in prison (Linder, Leopold). The trial, Darrows speech, and the final decision were so large that many refer to it as one of the first trials of the century. As a result of the trial, tension was created between people arguing over whether the death penalty was moral or not, especially for younger criminals. This case had lasting effects, and Darrows ideals are notable for its criticism of capital punishment as a retributive, rather than rehabilitative, penal system. One final trial that perhaps best represents high cultural tensions that existed was the Scopes Trial of 1925. It pitted religious fundamentalism against the growing field of science, specifically biology and evolution. Scopes, a teacher in Tennessee, was convicted and fined $100 for teaching evolution to his classroom. America was a traditionally Christian nation supportive

of Fundamentalism, as seen in the Butler Act passed in the period, which is what outlawed evolution education (Scopes). Many saw evolution as an attack on American values while others believed its acceptance to be crucial to scientific advancement. Both sides were defended by the best of attorneys, including William Jennings Bryan for Tennessee and Clarence Darrow for John Scopes. The tension manifested itself not only in the trial of whether the action was legal, but in debates and arguments over science vs. religion for years to come. In addition, the case inadvertently publicized Darwins theory, making it more well-known to the American public, allowing each person to take his own personal stance on the subject. The question of the governments stance on evolution lasted decades, and it was only in the 1960s when evolution finally reappeared in schoolbooks (Scopes). The Roaring Twenties of America brought good changes to the nation, but the tension it brought is evident in the number of trials of the century trials that took place during the decade. They took place in a number of aspects of American life: greed and materialism, political issues and communism fear, morality of penal systems, and science vs. religion. The responses to these changes would provide new ways of thinking and present new ideas to Americans in social movements in the decades that followed.

Works Cited D'Attilio, Robert. "Sacco-Vanzetti Case." Writing.upenn.edu. University of Pennsylvania, 18 July 2007. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. Frankfurter, Felix. "The Case of Sacco and Vanzetti." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 01 Mar. 1927. Web. 01 Mar. 2014. Linder, Douglas. "An Account of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox Scandal and 1921 Trial." Famous Trials. University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, 2010. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. Linder, Douglas O. "An Account of the Leopold and Loeb Case." Famous American Trials. University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, 1997. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. "Scopes Trial." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/08/2/l_082_01.html>. "The Sacco-Vanzetti Case Draws National Attention." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.