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

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. In doing so, they forcefully expressed their perspectives on the falsity of the charges as their incarceration became a cause célèbre both in the United States and internationally.

Central to this book is the chronologically structured presentation of letters (1931–1950) from the “Scottsboro Boys,” which includes:

• Correspondence from attorneys and members of Scottsboro support committees.
• The preservation of the defendants’ original grammar, syntax, and vernacular to maintain authenticity.
• Insights into the defendants’ growth from teenagers to men during their nearly 20-year imprisonment.

By maintaining the raw, unedited voice of the defendants, this volume offers a poignant and unfiltered look at one of the most significant judicial injustices in American history.