Scottsboro: A Tragedy of the American South

by Dan T. Carter

Book Overview

Covers the Scottsboro case since its inception as a 1931 freight car incident, accentuating national and international ramifications.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807104981
• ISBN13: 9780807104989
• Release Date: January 1979
• Publisher: Louisiana State University Press
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Bancroft Prize Winner Delivers!

Does "Scottsboro: A Tragedy of the American South" need any more 5-star reviews to convince readers that it may just be the best historical account of an American tragedy ever written? More than seventy years have passed since nine blacks were wrongfully accused of raping two white women on board an Alabama freight train and the event still rings in the ears as if it happened yesterday. Professor Dan T. Carter has remained the preeminent expert on the Scottsboro case for more than thirty years and his extensive research is evident in this book. Never dry or dull, Professor Carter guides the reader through a harrowing story that must be read to be believed. If you're not familiar with the Scottsboro case and its important role in American and more essentially pre-Civil Rights history, this should be the first book on your list. I also recommend James Goodman's superbly written "Stories of Scottsboro" and Quentin Reynolds' "Courtroom," the biography of Scottsboro defense attorney Samuel S. Leibowitz.

Detailed, Engaging, Amazing

I love reading history books, especially when they read like a novel. Carter has produced a detailed account of this nearly forgotten episode in American History and he has done it with so much energy that one can not help but be swept up in his telling of the story. He traces the episode from its hobo origins. A freight train that carried two women and several black young men was stopped. The women, when taken from the train accused all the black men of rape and from here the stories of these rail riders takes off. Working with facinating material, the segregation of the deep South, the idea of a woman's honor, the Communist and NAACP rivalry over the case, the Jewish NYer who comes to represent the boys, the racist judges and the status quo governor and the one judge who martyrs his carreer to stand up for what he believes is right,Carter shows that the tale of Scottsboro is stranger than fiction. Not only is the story itself excellent, but Carter also brings the story up to date. For anyone interested in this time period, this is a must read!

Meticulous, Ruthless in Seach of Truth, Searing, and Scary.

Dan Carter has done a superb job in this study of the miscarriage of justice that took place in the Alabama of the 1930's. His picture is so complete and enlightening and he has attacked all the issues from all sides. If you want to get a very different picture of the atrocities capable in the U.S. of the 20th Century, read this book. I could say so much more.....

A book that truly lives up to its "tragic" title

It is hard to imagine that such an terrible injustice could have occured in a country that prides itself on "justice for all." Dan Carter does a meticulous job in presenting us with one of the most engaging and informative books on the Scottsboro case I have ever read. As a pre-law and African-American history student I was thoroughly impressed and I recommend it to anyone regardless of their interests.

Truly a tragedy in modern-day America

Imagine being railroaded on trumped up charges of rape and sentenced to death in a trial that took no more than two hours with no proof of guilt-this is the lives of the eight teenagers and the one young boy as they rode the train to the point of their destiny in little Scottsboro, Alabama. Chronologically written by Mr. Carter, the Scottsboro Boys tells of a story of how wrong the U.S. Justice system can be if racial bias is allowed to roam free with no restraints in a land where one is to be deemed innocent until proven guilty. Outstanding writing and detail writtenn by Mr. Carter with assistance from the NAACP files pertaining to the case that changed race relations in America in the early 1930's. A must for those deciding on a career in criminal law.