scottsboro (ala.)

Alice Whittier, a crusading young journalist in 1931, leaves New York and travels to Scottsboro, Alabama, to cover the trial of nine African-American boys who have been accused of raping two white prostitutes who happened to be riding on the same freight train as the boys.

"In 1931, nine black teenagers were arrested in Alabama. The young men were accused of crimes they did not commit, including rape. This unjust arrest led to years of imprisonment and trials for the young men, who were named the Scottsboro Boys. 'The Scottsboro boys' examines their legacy and how their trials shaped the criminal justice system"--Amazon.

Presents court documents and eyewitness accounts that looks at the Scottsboro case, in which nine young African-American men were arrested in Alabama in 1931, convicted of raping two white women, and freed years later.

Uses historical figures and fictional characters to trace the progression of the 1931 Scottsboro trial, during which nine black youths were accused of raping two white girls, and a series of figures from both sides of the case vied to either save the boys or condemn them to death.