The Scottsboro Boys in Their Own Words : Selected Letters, 1931-1950

"Central to this book is the chronologically structured presentation of letters (1931-1950) that exhibit an intellectual growth and ability on the part of the defendants to effectively express their thoughts. In addition there is legal correspondence from attorneys and members of Scottsboro support committees. The original grammar, syntax and vernacular of the defendants is maintained"--;Cover -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Preface -- Introduction -- 1. Letters from 1931: Establishing the Legal Ground -- 2. Letters from 1932: Counselors for the Wise -- 3. Letters from 1933: Clash of Concerns -- 4. Letters from 1934: Scottsboro Mothers -- 5. Letters from 1935: Black Jurors Wanted -- 6. Letters from 1936: Psychology of Oppression -- 7. Letters from 1937: Four Down, Five to Go -- 8. Letters from 1938: Jail Rot -- 9. Letters from 1939: To Be Free, and Then What -- 10. Letters from 1940: Pushed to the Limits -- 11. Letters from 1941: Dear Miss Hester Huntington -- 12. Letters from 1942: The ILD Way -- 13. Letters from 1943: Reaching Outward -- 14. Letters from 1944: To Be Paroled or Not -- 15. Letters from 1945: Patterson's Burden -- 16. Letters from 1946: Andy Wright's Return -- 17. Letters from 1947: The Cost of Parole -- The Cost of Parole -- 18. Letters from 1948: Patterson's Guile -- 19. Letters from 1950: Andy's Walk -- Postscript -- Appendices -- A. A Report of the "Traveling Salesman" -- B. Kilby State Prison -- C. The Death of Janie Patterson -- D. Death Warrant of Haywood Patterson -- References -- Index. This is a collection of letters written by nine African American defendants in the infamous March 1931 Scottsboro, Alabama, rape case. Though most of the defendants were barely literate and all were teenagers when incarcerated, over the course of almost two decades they learned the rudiments of effective letter writing and in doing so forcefully expressed a wide range of perspectives on the falsity of the charges against them. They were known as the "Scottsboro Boys," and their incarceration became a cause celebre both in the United States and internationally. Noted social activists, authors, politicians, family members and ordinary people, condemned in letters what they viewed as a prime example of southern American judicial racism. Central to this book is the chronologically structured presentation of letters (1931-1950) that exhibit an intellectual growth and ability on the part of the defendants to effectively express their thoughts about their case and their innocence. In... This is a collection of letters written by the nine African American defendants in the infamous March 1931 Scottsboro, Alabama, rape case. Though most of the defendants were barely literate and all were teenagers when incarcerated, over the course of almost two decades in prison they learned the rudiments of effective letter writing and in doing so forcefully expressed a wide range of perspectives on the falsity of the charges against them as their incarceration became a cause celebre both in the United States and internationally. Central to this book is the chronologically structured presentation of letters (1931-1950), including some correspondence from attorneys and members of Scottsboro support committees. The original grammar, syntax and vernacular of the defendants are maintained in a desire to preserve the authenticity of these letters.