The+Trial+of+Sacco+and+Vanzetti

= The Trial of Sac co and Vanzetti  =

"But what good is the evidence and what good is the argument? They are determined to kill us regardless ofevidence, of law of decency, of everything." ~ Sacco, August 1927, fifteen hours before he and Vanzetti were executed.

==== Anarchism, and Anti-Anarchism with it, grew immensely as a response to World War I and the re-emergence of Big Business. The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, which represented all of anarchism on trial, was a dividing factor in the 1920's because while many Americans decried the trial as a blatant disregard for political civil liberties, just as many saw it as the justified destruction of two evil anarchists. ====

Origins a nd Youth [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/08/Palmer_Bombing.jpg width="230" height="340" align="left" caption="Damage done to Palmer's house after a bombing."]]

 * Both Sacco and Vanzetti were born and raised in **Italy**.
 * They immigrated to the United States in 1908, and met in a 1917 strike.
 * Both were followers of the prominent anarchist **Luigi Galleani**, who advocated for **revolutionary violence** like bombing and assassination, and who, along with his followers, is credited with many terrorist attacks .[[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Radicals_awaiting_deportation.jpg width="338" height="270" align="right" caption="Men who were arrested in Palmer raids are awaiting deportation."]]

Anti-Anarchism, The Red Scare, and Social Turbulence in 1919

 * Several Galleanists are credited with the **1919 Mail Bombings**, where anarchists targeted prominent politicians and businessmen, such as Attorney Gene ral Palmer and J.D. Rockefeller.
 * On May Day in 1919, **protests and riots** ensued in cities across America.
 * During the summer of 1919, **race riots** erupted across America, supposedly inspired by Bolshevism.
 * Many Americans were **troubled by and fed up** with strikes such as the **Boston Police Strike, Steel Strike, and Coal Strike**.
 * Attorney General Palmer launched **raids** on anarchists and socialists, and captured and deported hundreds of immigrants.

The Trial

 * The two men were arrested in Brockton, MA, on May 5 1920, and were charged **murdering two men** of the Slater-Morill Shoe Company and stealing thousands of dollars.
 * The trial was held in Dedham, and the presiding judge was **Webster Thayer**, an outspoken **critic of communism and anarchism**, as well as an advocate for the **suppression of free speech**.
 * Heavy, iron shutters were installed in the courthouse and it was put under heavy guard in case of a bombing.
 * Much of the evidence against Sacco and Vanzetti was **circumstantial**, there were **no reliable eye-witnesses**, and it is alleged that some **material evidence was tampered with**.
 * Both men were found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to **execution by electric chair**.
 * On October 1, 1924, **appeals** for a new trial were made when it was revealed that several witnesses had been **coerced** and **evidence tampered with**; ho[[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Save_Sacco_and_Vanzetti.jpg width="320" height="206" align="left" caption="A call for protests"]]wever, all appeals were **denied**.
 * In November of 1925, Madeiros, another convict, **confessed to committing the crimes**, and later in 1926, appeals were made to the **Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court**, but they too were denied.
 * In response to public protest, MA **Governor Alvin T. Fuller** set up an **Advisory's Committee** to determine whether the trial was fair; the committee pronounced it to be **"scrupulously fair."**
 * Two days before the execution, 20,000 protesters assembled on the Boston Commons.
 * Sacco and Vanzetti were **executed** by electric chair on August 23, 1927.

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After math [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/77/Sacco_vanzetti_sculpture.JPG width="320" height="240" align="right" caption="Memorial Plaque in the Boston Public Library"]]

 * In retaliation for the executions, there were several more **anarchist bombings**, including a failed attempt against President Hoover's life.
 * Public protest emerged in the form of angry newspaper articles, essays, and books, including //Boston//, published by Upton Sinclair.
 * **Violent demonstrations** swept through many cities internationally, where many people were killed and American embassy's were attacked.
 * In 1939, in response to legal outcry, the SJC adopted a policy of **reviewing all death penalty cases**, and is able to affirm or overturn verdicts.
 * On August 23, 1977, the 50th anniversary of Sacco and Vanzetti's execution, was declared **Sacco and Vanzetti Memorial Day**.
 * In 1997, a Sacco and Vanzetti **memorial plaque** was put up in the Boston public library.

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 * Today, it's **still not certain** whether or not Sacco and Vanzetti were guilty.
 * There has been new evidence offered that only Sacco but not Vanzetti was guilty, including ballistics tests unavailable at the time and testimony by anarchist leaders; however, there are claims that the ballistic test was false and there has been testimony offered by other anarchists who claim both were innocent.
 * However, it is known for sure that regardless of whether or not they were guilty, they **did not receive a fair and unprejudiced trial**.

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** Modern Co nnections**
-Similar to America's treatment of prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay media type="youtube" key="Dr8LdsBd_Tw" width="425" height="350" align="center"

-Turning facts identity factors such as beliefs or countries of origin into opposing evidence -Weak but overwhelming conviction (like prosecutions against Sacco and Vanzetti)