On March 25, 1931, a freight train was stopped in Paint Rock,
a small town in Alabama. Nine young African-American men who had
been riding the rails from Tennessee to Alabama were arrested.
Two white women, one underage, accused the men of raping them
while on the train.
Within a month, one man was found guilty and sentenced to death. A series of sensational trials followed based on the testimony of the older woman, a known prostitute. The prostitute was attempting to avoid prosecution under the Mann Act, which prohibited taking a minor across state lines for immoral purposes, like prostitution.
Although none of the men were executed, a number of them remained on death row for many years. The last defendant was released in 1950.
There are several striking parallels between Tom Robinson's trial in To Kill a Mockingbird and the Scottsboro trials:
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| Took place in the 1930s in Alabama. | Occurs in the 1930s in Alabama. | |
| Began with a rape charge made by white women against African American men. | Begins with a rape charge made by a white woman against an African American man. | |
| The poor white status of accusers was a critical issue. | The poor white status of Mayella is a critical issue. | |
| A central figure was a heroic judge, James Horton, a member of the Alabama Bar who overturned a guilty verdict against African Americans. | A central figure is Atticus, lawyer, legislator and member of the Alabama Bar, who defends an African American. | |
| This judge went against public sentiment in trying to protect the rights of African American defendants. | Atticus arouses anger in the community in trying to defend Tom Robinson. | |
| The first juries failed to include any African Americans, a situation which caused the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the guilty verdict. | The verdict is rendered by a jury of poor white residents of Old Sarum. | |
| The jury ignored evidence, such as the women suffered no injuries. | The jury ignores evidence, such as Tom has a useless left arm. | |
| Attitudes about Southern women & poor whites complicated the trial. | Attitudes about Southern women & poor whites complicate the trial. |
