The End Of The Scottsboro Trial

"The case of the Scottsboro Boys, which lasted more than 80 years, helped to spur the Civil Rights Movement. The perseverance of the Scottsboro Boys and the attorneys and community leaders who supported their case helped to inspire several prominent activists and organizers" (National Museum of  African American History and Culture, n.d.). 

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the International Labor Defense (I.L.D.) of the American Communist Party raised funds for appeals as well as provided support and defense for the nine Scottsboro Boys. "Civil rights were a cornerstone of the Communist Party’s platform in the U.S., and the party actively courted black intellectuals and leaders in an attempt to appeal to African-Americans" (Blakemore 2018).

On December 19, 1935, the Scottsboro Defense Committee was formed with representatives of the NAACP, the the International Labor Defense, the American Civil Liberties Union (A.C.L.U.), the League for Industrial Democracy, and the Methodist Federation for Social Service. Its main objective was to provide a united defense for the Scottsboro defendants. Members of the organizations worked to place the freed boys in jobs, and to continue to raise the money required to continue to petition Alabama for the parole and pardon of the imprisoned defendants.

Blackmore, Erin. 2018. "Why the Communist Party Defended the Scottsboro Boys." Last modified August 31, 2018. https://www.history.com/news/scottsboro-boys-naacp-communist-party.

National Museum of  African American History and Culture, n.d. "The Scottsboro Boys." Accessed December 12, 2019. https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog/scottsboro-boys.

PBS American Experience. "The Scottsboro Defense Committee." Accessed December 12, 2019. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/scottsboro-defense-committee/.