Dear Editor,
Thank you for being a good editor. It was an interesting piece and it made me very excited reading it. I realize
your frustrations with the females and the way they are dressing these days. As a female editor like yourself, I
think that you are only seeing one side of this issue. You say that it is wrong in the way they are dressing and
that it is very discriminating to women, but in my mind I think it is just a way of expressing themselves. I think
there is nothing wrong with this revealing clothing and it makes me happy to finally seeing girls setting them-
selves apart from others. Thank you for your opinion about the “flappers”. It was fun to hear another side of the
topic.
Thanks,
Person responding.
Dear Editor,
Subject: The Harlem Renaissance
For the jitterbug, jazz is an orgy of epileptic exhibitionism. For the casual collegian or cafe socialite it
is a moony, soothing stimulus to social pleasures. To a third, and smaller group of jazz fans, good
jazz is a serious art with its own history, traditions and standards of criticism.
Centered in New York’s Harlem district, Blacks trumpeted the role of the “New Negro” as being as-
sertive and proud of their African heritage. Jazz began in New Orleans as a mixture of rhythmic Afri-
can drumbeats and European instruments making it a uniquely American music.
It moved with the migration of African Americans from the south to cities in the north and then
around the world in the past few years. Famous jazz musicians over the past few years include Louis
Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Jelly Roll Morton.
There were a lot of lasting effects that Jazz had on America. Harlem became popular and lively,
many whites flocked to the music clubs and some adopted the music themselves. It established a
growing sense of black pride in the United States.
Thanks,
Person responding
TOP LETTERS TO THE EDITOR FROM THE DECADE
Page 2
LIFE MAGAZINE
To the editor:
I wanted to give praise to this current magazine issue. After reading through all of events that
happened in the 1920s, it was really great to sit there and reminisce about those times. You did an ex-
cellent job of covering all of the major topics that occurred in the 20s. But my favorite by far, was the
article about the Red Scare. The article was extremely detailed and it captured the intense feeling that
the citizens of the United States were feeling at that time.
Thanks,
Person responding.
Whose country is this, anyhow?
That was a frequently asked question
when the Red Scare was in effect a few
years ago. The Government orchestrated
organized attacks on the radicals, immi-
grants and other foreigners which be-
came known as the “Red Scare.” Attor-
ney General A. Mitchell Palmer organ-
ized thousands of federal, state, and lo-
cal officials to deport the so-called
“reds.”
A small portion of radicals sought
to destroy political order and promote
anarchy. There were various radical
groups that wanted to change the politi-
cal structure of the U.S. The commu-
nists promoted the end of private prop-
erty to common ownership of property.
The socialists promoted government
ownership of property.
The anarchists promoted no rules
at all. And the pacifists were opposed to
war. During 1919 and 1920 the radicals
delivered a series of bombs to political
officials’ homes and offices nationwide.
This caused public hysteria against all
communist and radicals.
In 1920 a massive bomb killed 33
people and injured 200 others on Wall
Street, the U.S. symbolic center of capi-
talism. In 1919 Attorney General A.
Mitchell Palmer’s house was bombed.
General Palmer led raids against the
radicals.
In 1921, the Johnson Act limited
immigration from Southern and Eastern
Europe by placing limits on the annual
immigration of any given nationality to
THE RED SCARE
Page 3
By: Navya Kondetti
3% of the number of immigrants
from that nation living in the U.S. in
1910.
In 1924, the National Origins Act
limited the annual number of immigrants
who could be admitted from any country
to 2% of the number of people from that
country who are currently living the
United States. The Act halted
“undesirable “immigration by quotas.
During the 1880s up until the
World War I, over eighteen million people
immigrated to America. President Wilson
inflamed anti-foreign sentiment warning
“citizens…born under our flags [inject]
the poison of disloyalty.”
The U.S. placed many restrictions on immigrants and
this is a political cartoon from the time showcasing the
restrictions
Page 4
LIFE MAGAZINE
In this article, you will see answers
to various questions that our readers have
asked us. We have invited a member of a
labor union to help us answer these ques-
tions, due to the fact that they fully under-
stand everything that there is to know
about the labor unions.
Q: We know that in 1919, a very big
controversy started and it had to do
with labor unions. Can you elaborate
on what happened?
A: In 1919, that is when a lot of labor un-
ion members had strikes and protested
against the wage cuts, the long hours, and
the fact that they didn’t get paid for work-
ing overtime.
Q: Do you know any specifics about
this?
A: If I recall correctly, there were roughly
4 million workers that went on strike. I
believe they held around 3,600 strikes.
Q: Wow, those are some big numbers.
So did any of these strikes work?
A: Unfortunately, they weren’t as effec-
tive as we hoped. Many of the times, the
companies refused to listen and the gov-
ernment would just have to send out
troopers in order to end out strikes.
Q: I also know that the labor union’s
membership decreased around that
time. Why is that?
A: Well, a lot of members ended up leav-
ing after they realized that these strikes
were not working. We lost about 1.6 mil-
lion members.
Q: I know that communism has some-
thing to do with this. Can you talk
about that?
A: Well, since many of the people in the
labor unions were foreigners, we caused a
lot of fear among the people of America.
The Americans were scared that the for-
eigners were actually communist trying to
take over America.
Q: Tell me some about a specific labor
union.
A: Well, one very big labor union that
most everybody has heard about is the
American Civil Liberties Union. These
people are against Anti-Immigration Acts
which reduce the number of immigrants
coming into America to a tiny amount.
This angered a lot of people. A big con-
troversy was also the Palmer Raids,
which people felt like the foreigners were
being treated unfairly because they were
foreigners. So the ACLU’s job is to pro-
tect these people in court to ensure that
they are being tried fairly.
If you have any further questions,
please find our address on this magazine
and mail them in. We are really glad that
this member was able to share with us
some of his inside knowledge about labor
unions. Once again, if you have any fur-
ther questions, please mail them in.
LABOR UNIONS
Page 5
By: Kimberly Lu
One of the biggest struggles of the
decade was the fight against alcohol. Be-
ginning at the end of the last decade, this
battle has continued and appears as if it’s
going to go on into the next decade as
well. Prohibition, a widely debated issue,
has left many people questioning whether
the 18th Amendment has had the desired
effect.
The Temperance Movement began
when women started noticing the negative
effects alcohol had on families. Social re-
form groups were formed, mainly com-
posed of white, middle class women, who
believed that alcohol was tearing families
apart by causing men to be violent, unem-
ployed, and economically and morally
bankrupt.
The movement began to grow, and
starting in 1916, many states supported
prohibition and in 1919, the 18th Amend-
ment was ratified, outlawing the manufac-
ture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating
liquors. In January of 1920, to start off
this decade, the 18th Amendment became
effective and police officers and govern-
ment officials began enforcing the law.
Although prohibition has banned
the manufacture, sale, and transportation
of alcohol, it is not illegal to buy, possess,
or consume. Regardless of the 18th
Amendment, people have still found ways
of acquiring alcohol. Some of the most
popular include: speakeasies, bootleggers,
moonshine, and doctor’s prescriptions.
Smuggling alcohol in from neighboring
countries, such as Canada and the Baha-
mas, has also been occurring, but it’s a
riskier option and a messier business to
get involved in. Al Capone, one of the
most commonly heard names throughout
the decade, is a gangster known for smug-
gling in alcohol. He gained major public-
ity this year after the St. Valentine’s Day
Massacre in February, when 7 men were
killed. Al Capone was suspected to be be-
hind the murders of the men, who hap-
pened to work for George Moran, his rival
in the alcohol smuggling business.
PROHIBIT ION: FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE?
Page 6
LIFE MAGAZINE
By: Maggie Gross
A social reform group advocating for prohibition.
Although Al Capone was suspected
for the crimes, he hasn’t been charged be-
cause of insufficient evidence linking him
to the murders. Currently, Al Capone is in
jail, after being arrested and sentenced to 1
year in prison for carrying concealed
deadly weapons. Although Al Capone has
received lots of media coverage, he hasn’t
been the only one involved in illegal activi-
ties. Since the 18th Amendment, Americans
have seen an increase in fighting and crime
overall, just to acquire alcohol. Many law-
abiding citizens, upset with the crime rates,
have been criticizing the government and
police officers, blaming them for the trou-
bles. The truth of the matter is that prohibi-
tion is hard to enforce, especially when
some law enforcement officers might not
agree with it.
As the decade comes to a close, pro-
hibition is still a hot topic, with many vary-
ing opinions on the issue. It appears as if
Americans are questioning whether prohi-
bition has provided positive changes to so-
ciety, or if the increase in crime and law-
lessness has outweighed the good effects.
Since our last survey in 1926, over 80% of
the public are in favor of repealing the law.
Protests and anti-prohibition groups are be-
coming more frequent, but for now, the 18th
Amendment is still intact. It looks like
Americans will just have to wait to see
what changes the next decade brings!
PROHIBIT ION: FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE?
Page 7
By: Maggie Gross
Al Capone, gangster and alcohol supplier
Police officers posing with the alcohol after a raid.
In the past few years, immigration
to the United States increased. Many
different cultures and people of different
ethnicities came together, merging their
cultural traditions. While multi-
culturalism spread throughout the
United States during the 1920's, animos-
ity among "white" Americans also
grew towards the immigrants. Racism
was horrific in the past few years. By
1925 there were half a million members
in the Ku Klux Klan and lynchings were
commonplace. Non-whites were not re-
spected and segregation was still taking
place.
He heard the smack, followed by
the intense pain along the side of his
face. He sputtered out the blood in his
mouth and gasped for breath. He braced
himself for another hit but instead felt
the ground disappear from underneath
him and his body was slammed down.
Within seconds O’Neil blacked out.
“It started out as just another
warm and sunny day at the beach.”
O’Neil said. “My friends and I were just
joking around. All of a sudden a rock
was thrown at us. We heard laughter and
we saw four white boys throwing rocks
at us. We thought it was funny so we
started avoiding the rock, we thought of
it as a game. They stopped throwing so
we let our guard down. Out of nowhere,
we hear a low thud and Caleb was no-
where to be seen. The water rapidly
turned red and we dove into the water
and found his body at the bottom. We
pulled him out of the water and laid him
down on the sand. There was no re-
sponse from him. He was dead. I looked
over at the other side of the beach and
saw the four guys laughing. Rage flow
through me and I ran across the beach,
crossing the border between us blacks
and them whites.
I threw a punch at the guy who I
thought has thrown the rock. And that’s
what started it. What started off as me
punching one guy, turned into almost
everyone on the beach fighting. And
then the guy punched my face and the
last thing I remembered was the ground
disappearing from underneath me.”
O’Neil grimaced as he finished his
story.
RACIAL PREJUDICES
Page 8
LIFE MAGAZINE
The Ku Klux Klan holds a meeting.
By: Navya Kondeti
In the past few years incidents of ra-
cial violence broke out across the na-
tion. Most often white against blacks,
lynchings usually attracted thousands
of spectators who traveled to the
scenes “waiting for the show to start”.
What happened to O’Neil and his
friends was just one out of many ex-
amples of lynching.
It is on the issue of racial superi-
ority, physical and mental, that all of
mankind bitterly divides. Such value
judgments are largely subjective and
lack any solid scientific foundation,
but that has never stopped men from
making them. The Negro, who reached
the U.S. in bonds, has ever since been
classified in some quarters as a mem-
ber of an intellectually inferior race.
It seems probable that before society
solves the thorny problem of race preju-
dice, advancing science—or even the
continuing evolution of the human spe-
cies—will beat society to it. The
world's population is already three-
fifths colored—that is, other than
white.
Until the world accepts the proposition
that the universality of mankind out-
weighs the differences, speculation
about the meaning of the diversity will
continue. The human physical variety is
self-evident, so is the wide spectrum of
human achievement. It is well-
established that the controlling factors
are cultural and environmental.
Nothing that man has discovered
about himself so far provides any sound
scientific foundation for the conclusion
that one race is innately superior to any
other. No one knows. And the men of
tomorrow, looking back, may wonder
why anyone was ever concerned with
such comparisons.
RACIAL PREJUDICES
Page 9
Colored people were required to use different water
fountains than the white.
By: Navya Kondeti
POLIT ICAL CARTOON OF THE DECADE
Page 10
LIFE MAGAZINE
By: Jordan Herrera
The Scopes Trial, formally
known as The State of Tennessee vs.
Scopes began in 1925. It was ruled on
July 21, 1925, that John Scopes was
guilty; however, due to a technicality,
the verdict was overturned, and the is-
sue was never brought back to trial.
The big controversy began be-
cause of the 24 year old, high school
biology teacher, John Scopes. From the
Butler Act, it was ruled unlawful to
teach evolution to student. However,
John Scopes decided that he was going
to start teaching evolution to his stu-
dents; he did not just randomly decide
this though. Scopes was approached by
the American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) to test the limits of the new
Tennessee law. John Scopes agreed to
this and he began teaching his students
the theory of evolution.
Shortly after this incident, a trial
began to argue teaching evolution in
school. William Jennings Bryan, the
former presidential candidate was the
primary witness for this prosecution.
Bryan also did everything in his power
to have this case treated as a constitu-
tional issue in order to question the va-
lidity of evolution on a national scale.
Not only was a former presiden-
tial candidate a part of this trial but the law-
yer on the defensive side, Clarence Darrow,
was also another big name on this trial.
This trial originally wasn’t a big deal, but
since there were multiple celebrities that
were a part of this trial, the public became
more aware of this topic.
During the trial, Darrow, being the
famous lawyer that he was, found a way to
invalidate Bryan’s thoughts. Darrow had
asked Bryan about the miracles of the Bi-
ble, and it caused Bryan to contradict him-
self. However, no matter what Darrow said,
John Scopes was still deemed guilty. But
the people against Scopes and Darrow also
believed that Bryan’s thoughts about faith
over facts were good, but some things were
found to be disappointing. After the final
ruling, it was then decided that Scopes was
no longer guilty or not guilty. 6 years later,
the trial was never brought back to life, so
Scopes remained innocent.
But since William Jennings Bryan
was found to have contradicted his idea
against evolution, it caused the public to
start thinking about evolution. This trial
brought attention to fundamentalism and
science on a national scale. Whereas, be-
fore, no one paid much attention to that the-
ory, it was now being looked at more as a
very big possibility. So in the end, ACLU
was able to bring light to the topic, but they
did not successfully gain the right to teach
it in schools.
THE SCOPES TRIAL
Page 11
By: Kimberly Lu
One of the best movies of this
decade was by far, The Big Parade
(1925).
It was about a young man that
fought in WWI. The movie perfectly
incorporated accurate facts. The
emotions that the actors used were so
powerful that you felt like you were
right there with them in experiencing
the pain and the love.
Then when James Apperson
(the main soldier) has to leave his
new love, the Frenchwoman, the
emotion that the actor portrays is un-
deniably the most realistic of all of
the movies in the 20s. You feel the
pain that he feels, and you feel the
joy that he feels.
If you have not yet seen The
Big Parade, it is an excellent movie
that is highly recommended to every-
one.
MOVIE REVIEW OF THE DECADE
Page 12
LIFE MAGAZINE
By: Kimberly Lu
Page 13
In the 20th century, the US Navy be-
gan to use oil fuel instead of coal because
of its efficiency. This caused a very large
desire for petroleum. Then to make sure
that the US Navy would never
run short of oil, they began oil
reserves. This was done all un-
der President Taft. However, af-
ter the new President Harding
came, and executive order was
issued to have the control of
Teapot Dome transferred to the
Department of Interior.
How do you turn all of
the United States against you
all at one time? If you need any advice, you
can certainly ask President Warren G.
Harding. From 1921-1923, one of the worst
presidents in history was experienced by
the nation.
The Teapot Dome Scandal all started
with a bribe. It included the Secretary of
Interior, Albert B. Fall and the former
president, Warren. G. Harding. Fall began
to give US Navy petroleum reserves to pri-
vate investors. This scandal was known as
the “greatest and most sensational scandal
in the history of American politics”.
At first, when allegations were first
created, everyone believed that Fall was
innocent and without full proof, this story
faded from the public eye. The public then
stopped worrying about the topic, but the
Senate did not stop. Everything that Fall
did seemed legal on the outside, but
deep down, everything that Fall was do-
ing was highly illegal. The leader of the
investigation was Thomas J. Walsh, a
democrat from Montana. He real-
ized that records on these sales
were disappearing. Walsh was suc-
cessful in cracking open the scan-
dal. It was then ruled in court that
the oil reserves were to be right-
fully returned to the Navy.
When this scandal became
public, it wasn’t widely known that
Harding was part of this, but
when evidence proved that
Harding was a part of this scandal, his
public relations plummeted . He single
handedly managed to get all of America
to turn against him.
Not only did President Harding
cause the nation to hate him, he also
caused America to economically and so-
cially disintegrate. If Harding and Fall
hand never had made the mistake of en-
gaging in these acts, then the U.S. could
have potentially been in a better state
than it is.
The Teapot Dome Scandal not
only nationally embarrassed a president,
but it also greatly hurt the United States.
Thanks to President Harding, the citi-
zens of the United States may never
know what it would have been like to be
economically stable.
TEAPOT DOME SCANDAL
Page 14
LIFE MAGAZINE
President Harding
By: Kimberly Lu
Page 15
Page 16
LIFE MAGAZINE
While working as a nurse, Margaret
Sanger got called to a woman’s house.
She was in bad condition after performing
a self-induced abortion and died later that
night. It was the same woman Margaret
Sanger had seen a couple times before,
both for the same problem: a self-
induced, illegal abortion. When the
woman had asked her doctor what she
could do to prevent a pregnancy, the doc-
tor suggested abstinence. Obviously, that
didn’t work out for her and she stuck to
her method of self-induced abortions,
which was a dangerous procedure and
eventually led to her death. Since Marga-
ret was a nurse, she had seen multiple
cases like this, and knew of many women
in the same situation. She knew she
couldn’t stand by and watch women put
their lives in danger anymore, thus her
work began.
A powerful and inspirational
woman, Margaret Sanger, has empowered
and changed the lives of many women
over the past decade. Her books, the
opening of her clinic, and her overall
dedication to educating women has made
her a well respected woman. At a time
when so much is changing for women,
politically and socially, Margaret Sanger
is stepping in and adding her beliefs to
mix, allowing for women to have more
control over their bodies and their futures
with the promotion of birth control. She
believes women should be educated and
allowed to make their own decisions re-
garding birth control, in order to be safe
and protect their health and well-being.
Margaret was one of 18 children and she
saw how her mother’s health deterio-
rated after the birth of each child. She
just wants women to be able to make
smart decisions and have access to birth
control, if that’s what they choose to do.
She has dedicated her life to these
women, facing harsh criticism and judg-
ments from people, as well as being ar-
rested and even jailed for short periods
of time for her work.
Margaret’s work really began back
in 1914 with the publication of a
monthly newsletter called, The Women
Rebel, which promoted birth control.
Following the newsletter, came a few
books, also promoting birth control and
educating women on their bodies and
how to prevent things like an unwanted
pregnancy. The start of this decade also
began with Margaret’s work founding
the American Birth Control League,
whose goal was to educate women on
the dangers of unsafe sex, as well as to
organize and conduct clinics where doc-
tors can give away free birth control to
women. Through research, she found a
loophole in the law, which then allowed
her to open a birth control clinic for
women. It was staffed with entirely fe-
male doctors, so women would be more
WOMEN’S RIGHTS : MARGARET SANGER
By: Maggie Gross
Page 17
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
comfortable coming in for help. It
was the first legal birth control clinic in the
United States and was a huge step for
women’s rights. In 1928, Margaret Sanger
resigned as president from the American
Birth Control League to take full control of
the Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau,
which is where she is currently working and
continuing her work advocating for birth
control and women’s rights.
Margaret’s work has opened up
so many doors for women and has given
them a choice that has changed their lives.
Before her work, women could not get birth
control because it was looked down upon
and many men believed that a woman’s sole
purpose was to have and raise children.
Now the times are changing, and attitudes
are too. Women are now more independent
than ever and hold jobs that at one point
only men could have. They are making their
own decisions and have their own personal
beliefs about sex. Without birth control as
an option there are going to be unwanted
pregnancies that either end in dangerous,
self-performed abortions, since it is illegal
to get the procedure done, or a bad upbring-
ing for a child. It is better to prevent the
situation before it even occurs, so that lives
are spared and there isn’t the difficulty of
raising a child that was unplanned. When
talking about education of birth control and
unwanted pregnancies, Margaret says, “It is
a vicious cy-
cle; ignorance
breeds pov-
erty and pov-
erty breeds
ignorance.
There is only
one cure for
both, and that
is to stop
breeding
these things.
Stop bringing
to birth chil-
dren whose inheritance cannot be one of
health or intelligence. Stop bringing into
the world children whose parents cannot
provide for them. Herein lies the key of
civilization. For upon the foundation of an
enlightened and voluntary motherhood
shall a future civilization emerge.”
Within 10 years, Margaret has given
women so much more freedom and control
over their own lives, allowing them to pur-
sue their education and careers without be-
ing held back by children of an unwanted
pregnancy. She takes pride in the fact that
she has given women the power they need
to take ownership of their lives and have
more opportunities than they would have
otherwise had. Margaret cannot help but
think of the difference this would have
made in the woman’s life that she couldn’t
save so many years ago. If she had been
given the option of birth control, she would
still be here today. “I do it for her”, says
WOMEN’S RIGHTS : MARGARET SANGER
By: Maggie Gross
Margaret Sanger
Page 18
LIFE MAGAZINE
THE FINAL COUNT
By: Jordan Herrera
One of the most memorable events of
this decade was the boxing match between
jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney on Septem-
ber 23, 1926. A crowd of 120,000 stood in
Philadelphia to watch this fight. This fight
would be the first of two, but was never for-
gotten.
Tunney had beaten Dempsey by a ten
round unanimous decision to lift the world
heavyweight title three years ago. As all
know, a rematch did happen. Gene Tunney
and jack Dempsey would step into the ring
again one year later. What transpired be-
tween the ropes that day would generate so
much debate and controversy that it will be
forever known as the “the long count.”
The beating that Tunney had adminis-
tered in their first fight was so great and de-
cisive, that Dempsey would have to fight an-
other ranked heavyweight in order to prove
himself worthy of another title shot. Jack
Sharkey, a top contender whose most note-
worthy victory was over harry wills, was
chosen as Dempsey’s opponent. The two met
in Yankee stadium on July 21, 1927.
Dempsey attacked the body viciously,
and in the seventh round landed a punch that
Sharkey claimed to be low. As Sharkey
turned to the referee to protest, Dempsey
connected with a smashing left hook that
sent his opponent crashing to the canvas for a
10 count. Despite Sharkey’s protests, the
referee upheld the decision.
For those who believed the three year
layoff had much to do with Dempsey’s per-
formance in the first fight, the fight did not
get off to a promising start. Dempsey
was easily kept at bay by Tunney’s jabs and
counterpunching. Despite Dempsey’s best
efforts, the fight was progressing much the
same as the previous one. Dempsey looked
sluggish slow and was being totally out-
classed by the superior boxer for the first six
rounds of the fight. Blow after blow con-
nected against Tunney’s chin until the cham-
pion finally collapsed onto the ground.
As Tunney struggled to regain his
composure, the crowd roared in anticipation
of seeing Dempsey crowned the first ever
two time heavyweight champion. There was
only one problem: the referee wasn’t issuing
a count. Once he knocked Tunney down,
Dempsey refused to go to a neutral corner.
By the time the referee had ushered
Dempsey refused to go to a neutral corner.
and began his count, the ringside timekeeper
had already reached the count of five. Tun-
ney rose to his feet as the referee reached the
count of nine, but it had actually been 14 sec-
onds since the champion was knocked down.
Much controversy arose from this be-
cause it gave Tunney a chance to recover and
come back to win the fight. The excitement
and shock that resulted from the seventh
round knockdown was enough to cause one
radio listener to have a heart attack. This was
that fans, final count. Boxing has been
known to injure people but this was the first
death resulting from a boxing match.
In one of the biggest trials of the decade,
The People of Massachusetts vs. Sacco and Van-
zetti, two men were convicted and sentenced to
death because of a robbery that resulted in the
death of a paymaster and a guard at a factory. In
August of 1927, Nicola Sacco and Bartolommeo
Vanzetti, both Italian immigrants, were put to
death by electric chair.
Suspicions surrounding their arrest, as well
as comments made by people presiding over the
case give reason for concern. Sacco and Vanzetti
were arrested because of subscriptions to an anar-
chist newspaper; not because they were at the
scene of the crime. However, the fact that the two
men were both carrying guns at the time of the ar-
rest and could not come up with a written alibi,
helped the prosecution’s case. Judge Webster
Thayer, who supported the suppression of radical
speech, and Attorney General Palmer, served on
the case. Even after 6 years of protests and ap-
peals, they refused to retry the case, believing that
Sacco and Vanzetti “deserved no consideration”.
Because these men were Italian immigrants, anar-
chists, and had protested the Palmer raids, they
faced harsh judgments and criticisms in court.
Walter Ripley, foreman for the jury, said that re-
gardless of the men’s actual innocence or guilt,
“Damn them, they ought to hang anyway.”
Although there were some valid suspicions
surrounding the robbery and murder, Sacco and
Vanzetti’s rights were violated in court. There was
a lot of questionable material presented against the
men, such as ballistics evidence and a hat found at
the crime scene. When trying to match Sacco’s
gun shells to the artillery found at the scene of the
crime, witness reports suggest that bullets were
switched in order to indicate a match. There was
also some confusion when trying to match Van-
zetti’s gun to the crime because the bullets fired at
the guard were a different caliber than the bullets
in Vanzetti’s gun. Some possibilities of Vanzetti
stealing the guard’s gun were given, and although
there was never enough support to back it up,
the jury believed it. The last piece of evidence
was a hat found at the scene of the crime, which
was claimed to be Sacco’s. Witness reports state
that when he tried it on in court, the hat was too
small for his head, but the prosecution insisted
that it fitted and belonged to Sacco. Further-
more, no witnesses could truly clarify that it was
Sacco and Vanzetti that they saw at the scene of
the crime. Despite all these gaping holes in the
evidence, Sacco and Vanzetti were sentenced
anyway, suggesting alternate motives for the
conviction.
The derogatory statements made by the
judges and attorney serving on the case suggest
that a big part of the conviction was due to the
men’s background. Because of previous bomb-
ings and the Red Scare there was a hatred of im-
migrants and radicals. During the last hearing in
April 1927, Bartolommeo Vanzetti said, “I
would not wish to a dog or to a snake, to the
most low and misfortunate creature of the earth–
I would not wish to any of them what I have had
to suffer for things that I am not guilty of. But
my conviction is that I have suffered for things
that I am guilty of. I am suffering because I am a
radical and indeed I am a radical; I have suffered
because I am an Italian and indeed I am an Ital-
ian...if you could execute me two times, and if I
could be reborn two other times, I would live
again to do what I have done already.”
The rights of Nicola Sacco and Bar-
tolommeo Vanzetti were violated during the
trial. Two, potentially innocent men, were pre-
sumed guilty and given an unfair reputation be-
fore even stepping foot in court, due to their na-
tionality. Two lives could have been saved if the
men had been given a fair chance and had all
their rights. If immigrant hatred doesn’t stop
now, how many more lives are we going to
lose?
THE SACCO VANZETTI TR IAL : V IOLATED OF THEIR RIGHTS , UNFAIR TRIAL AND EXECUTION
Page 19
By: Maggie Gross