Essay On The Scottsboro Boys

Words: 716
Pages: 3

Young girls accusing people of rape in the 30’s and accusing people of witchcraft in the 1600’s, that’s crazy right? This is known as mass hysteria, an emotional exaggeration in a group of people. Although, they bear some superficial differences, the similarities between the Salem Witch Trials and the Scottsboro Trials are clear.

The Scottsboro Trials are the longest running court case for a crime that didn’t occur (The Trials of The Scottsboro Boys). The case produced many trials, convictions and retrials (The Trials of The Scottsboro Boys). It involved nine black teen boys and two white girls (The Trials of The Scottsboro Boys). This was a case of an alleged gang rape on a Southern Railroad freight, on March 25, 1931 (The Trials of The Scottsboro
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Young girls claimed to be possessed by the devil (Salem Witch Trials). They were accused of casting spells in the woods and the girls also accused local women of witchcraft (Salem Witch Trials). The town went into mass hysteria (Salem Witch Trials). Innocent townspeople were being hung (The Salem Witch Trials of 1692). Even an 80 year old man was pressed to death with stones for refusing to go on trial (The Salem Witch Trials of 1692). Most of the trials were unfair and resulted in shameful injustice (The Salem Witch Trials of 1692). The case was brought to the Supreme Court, if confessed to the crime of witchcraft they weren't killed but were thrown in jail (The Salem Witch Trials of 1692). In September 1692, the hysteria began to stop and the public turned against the trials (The Salem Witch Trials of 1692). The court soon annulled the guilty verdicts against accused witches because the trials began to overwhelm the justice system (The Salem Witch Trials of 1692). Dozens had languished in jail for months without beginning trialed, but in early 1693 the trials were pardoned and released all those from prison (The Salem Witch Trials of