Politics on trial : five famous trials of the 20th century

William Kunstler, the most celebrated defense lawyer of his time, reflects on five famous cases in which ordinary citizens were targeted for their political views or the color of their skin, including Sacco and Vanzetti (Italian immigrants accused of murder), and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg (communists executed for espionage). Kunstler also considers legal challenges to compulsory prayers in schools and the ban on teaching evolution. The Introduction by Michael Ratner highlights current threats to political rights. -------------- "As long as someone controls your history, the truth shall remain just a mystery."—Ben Harper Radical History is a new series from Ocean Press seeking to restore our collective memory of events, struggles and people erased from conventional (and conservative) histories and media. These mini-anthologies include eyewitness accounts and historic, forgotten or ignored documents as well as new essays, chronologies and further reading suggestions. This series is designed to appeal to a new generation of political activists. Cover ......Page 1 Politics on Trial: Five Famous Trials of the 20th Century......Page 2 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Introduction......Page 12 Sacco & Vanzetti: Massachusetts v. Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco......Page 26 Scopes -- The "Monkey Trial": Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes......Page 61 The Scottsboro Nine: Alabama v. Haywood Patterson......Page 79 The Rosenbergs: The United States of America v. Julius Rosenberg, Ethel Rosenberg and Morton Sobell......Page 95 Engel, Education and God......Page 121 Epilog......Page 140 Resources......Page 142