Description
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 and in doing so forcefully expressed a wide range of perspectives on the falsity of the charges against them as their incarceration became a cause celebre both in the United States and internationally. Central to this book is the chronologically structured presentation of letters (1931-1950), including some correspondence from attorneys and members of Scottsboro support committees. The original grammar, syntax and vernacular of the defendants are maintained in a desire to preserve the authenticity of these letters.
Author: Kwando M. Kinshasa
Publisher: McFarland and Company, Inc.
Published: 03/15/2014
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 9.00h x 5.90w x 0.90d
ISBN13: 9780786472048
ISBN10: 0786472049
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Ethnic Studies | American | African American & Black Studies
- Literary Collections | Letters
- History | United States | State & Local | South (AL,AR,FL,GA,KY,LA,MS,
About the Author
Kwando M. Kinshasa is a professor of African American Studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.