Scottsboro: An American Tragedy

The documentary is about a case brought in Alabama in 1931. Nine young Black men were arrested. The charge was the rape of two white women. The trials were held quickly and ended in conviction. There was no solid evidence against them. One of the women later said no such thing had happened. The case was heard again over many years. It set off a wide argument across the country. The workings of justice in the South were called into question. What happened when Black men were accused became visible. The phrase legal lynching was used for such trials. The documentary rests on documents and testimony from the period. Press reports and court records are used. The account sets out the racist ground of the case plainly. Barak Goodman directed the ninety minute documentary. It is an American production finished in 2000.