The Sacco and Vanzetti Case:
Conservative Beliefs Gone Wrong
The case of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti in Baintree, Massachusetts had riveted the world like no legal case had ever before. The two Italian immigrants were accused of killing two individuals in a shoe factory in the year 1920. Their suspected target was a factory payroll consisting of a cash purse totaling over $15,776, which, in 1920, was an exceptionally large amount of money. The two Italian Americans were caught by police three weeks later, and the world has never been the same again. The Red Scare fueled society of the early 20th century created a legal case in which the proceedings were not a product of evidence, but previously held political beliefs. As a result of the changing conservative mentalities of American citizens, the wake of the Red Scare had created a legal battle over the lives of Sacco and Vanzetti that would change the future of American politics forever.
The backgrounds of Sacco and Vanzetti had played a controversially large role in the overall rulings of their suspected murders. Sacco was born in 1891 in the small Italian town of Terremaggiore. He came to the United States in 1907 and immediately began working in a shoe factory in Soughton, Massachusetts. [1] After seeing how immigrant workers were being treated in the workforce he became involved in anarchist gatherings and, in turn, developed a strong passion for left-wing politics. [2]
Just like Sacco, Vanzetti was also born in a small Italian town called Villaffalletto in 1888. He was exposed to the harsh effects of low class labor at an early age as he saw his father struggle to make a living as a farmer in Italy. [3] At the age of twenty, Vanzetti came to Massachusetts and settled in the town of Plymouth as a fish trader. After coming to the United States with his dreams held high, he immediately saw the injustice experienced by immigrants in the work force. Like Sacco, he became involved in left-wing politics and took on an anarchist approach to the non protective government he saw himself surrounded by. Vanzetti eventually met Sacco at a left-wing political meeting where the two became friends and began their history of fighting the American government together in any way they saw possible. [4]
Trying to be rebels against American government, Sacco and Vanzetti, like many other left-wing politicals, were against the First World War. They participated in a number of protests objecting to the United States involvement in the matter, but their efforts came to avail. In 1917, just as the war began for the United States, Sacco and Vanzetti fled to Mexico for the duration of the war and would not return until the armistice was signed in the end of 1918. [5] Upon their unfavorable return to America, Nicola and Bartolomeo were arrested and charged with the murder of a paymaster and the guard of a shoe factory named Frederick Parmenter and Alessandro Berardelli in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. So-called “witnesses” had claimed that the two criminals were of Italian decent, and after Sacco and Vanzetti were chosen as the ones at fault the police’s stated reasoning consisted of the assumption that the two men had killed the shoe factory workers in an effort to fund their anarchist political campaigns. [6] Neither Sacco nor Vanzetti had any previous criminal records, however the sole fact that both were in some way “against” the American government during the Red Scare gave plenty enough leverage to begin the trial that started on May 21, 1921. [7]
The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti was one of much bias and racial disadvantage. Many of the alibis given by supporters of the two men’s innocence were given by other Italian immigrants whose stories had to be given to the jury in badly translated scripts. Also, Sacco and Vanzetti themselves did not have full knowledge of the English language which they needed badly in order to defend themselves in an American courtroom. [8] The previously held political beliefs of both men had also come to light in the media which, in turn, created a negative impact on the trial’s eventual outcome. The prosecution used the media spotlight to repeatedly remind the jury of the two Italian American men’s anti-American political beliefs. A case, which was supposed to be centered on the facts of a murder, had become an investigation of two men’s allegiance to their country. [9] The United States of America, which Sacco and Vanzetti had left their native Italy to create new lives in, had sadly revealed a harsh reality in which the two men had no choice but to take action against. The endless fight of the immigrant worker in an increasingly conservative American society was the true battle being waged by the two Italian immigrants. However, despite all the efforts made by Sacco and Vanzetti, nothing could truly triumph over the biased Red Scare society of 1920s Massachusetts. On April 9, 1927 Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti had been sentenced to death by the court of Massachusetts. [10] Much of the nation and world was very indifferent towards the decision made by the court; however, nothing could save the lives of the two men any more. Sacco and Vanzetti were executed on August 23, 1927 and the political mentality of 20th century America has never been looked at the same way since.
From the beginning of Sacco and Vanzetti’s trial, media attention around the world had brought the murder case involving the two men to a global audience of people. In fact, in several countries around the globe, demonstrations took place to protest the treatment of immigrants in the very country that proclaimed to be free and just to all who seek its opportunities. [11] However, the protests of thousands upon thousands of individuals around the world was not enough to save the lives of two Italians immigrants who felt unsatisfied with the way their kind was being treated in the nation they had sacrificed everything to be a part of. To this very day, a march is held around the world to commemorate the sacrifice made by Sacco and Vanzetti and remember the racial prejudice experienced by many immigrants during the first Red Scare in American history. [12] At least, in the eyes of Vanzetti, the trial and all of its repercussions had actually enriched his life in a way that he could never have imagined, "If it had not been for this thing, I might have lived out my life talking at street corners to scorning men. I might have died, unmarked, unknown, a failure. Now we are not a failure. This is our career and our triumph. Never in our full life can we hope to do such work for tolerance, justice, for man's understanding of man, as now we do by accident. Our words - our lives - our pains - nothing! The taking of our lives - lives of a good shoemaker and a poor fish peddler - all! That last moment belong to us - that agony is our triumph” (Vanzetti New York Times). [13]
Citations:
Bibliography
-Red Scare-
-Sacco & Vanzetti Murder Case-
1. Baker, Helen. "The Red Scare and Women's Peace Activism, 1920s, Introduction." The Red Scare and Women's Peace Activism, 1920s, Introduction. State University of New York at Binghamton, Spring 1998. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://womhist.alexanderstreet.com/wilpf/intro.htm>.
2. Blake, Virgil. "About Red Scare (1918-1921)." About Red Scare (1918-1921). Queens College, City University of New York, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/library/alumni/online_exhibits/digital/redscare/ABOUT_RS.HTM>.
3. D'Attilio, Robert. "The Sacco-Vanzetti Case (overview)." The Sacco-Vanzetti Case (overview). N.p., 17 July 2007. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/sacvan.html>.
4. Linder, Douglas. "The Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti." Famous American Trials. N.p., 2000. Web. <http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/saccov/saccov.htm>.
5. Palmer, Mitchell. "Fear of Dissent." Between the Wars: The Red Scare. Readings on American Life, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/hist409/palmer.html>.
6. "The Red Scare in the 1920." The Red Scare in the 1920. The History Learning Site, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/red_scare_1920s_America.htm>.
7. "The Red Scare." The Red Scare - Sacco and Vanzetti Case. United States History, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1343.html>.
8. "The Red Scare." The Red Scare [ushistory.org]. Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia, 2008. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/47a.asp>.
9. "Sacco & Vanzetti Exhibit." Sacco & Vanzetti Exhibit. Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, 21 June 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.mass.gov/courts/sjc/sacco-vanzetti.html>.
10. "Sacco and Vanzetti Executed." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sacco-and-vanzetti-executed>.
11. "Sacco and Vanzetti Put to Death Early This Morning." "On This Day" New York Times, 2010. Web. <http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0823.html#article>.
12. "Sacco and Vanzetti." Sacco and Vanzetti. Sacco and Vanzetti Commemoration Society, 2007. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://saccoandvanzetti.org/>.
Conservative Beliefs Gone Wrong
The case of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti in Baintree, Massachusetts had riveted the world like no legal case had ever before. The two Italian immigrants were accused of killing two individuals in a shoe factory in the year 1920. Their suspected target was a factory payroll consisting of a cash purse totaling over $15,776, which, in 1920, was an exceptionally large amount of money. The two Italian Americans were caught by police three weeks later, and the world has never been the same again. The Red Scare fueled society of the early 20th century created a legal case in which the proceedings were not a product of evidence, but previously held political beliefs. As a result of the changing conservative mentalities of American citizens, the wake of the Red Scare had created a legal battle over the lives of Sacco and Vanzetti that would change the future of American politics forever.
The backgrounds of Sacco and Vanzetti had played a controversially large role in the overall rulings of their suspected murders. Sacco was born in 1891 in the small Italian town of Terremaggiore. He came to the United States in 1907 and immediately began working in a shoe factory in Soughton, Massachusetts. [1] After seeing how immigrant workers were being treated in the workforce he became involved in anarchist gatherings and, in turn, developed a strong passion for left-wing politics. [2]
Just like Sacco, Vanzetti was also born in a small Italian town called Villaffalletto in 1888. He was exposed to the harsh effects of low class labor at an early age as he saw his father struggle to make a living as a farmer in Italy. [3] At the age of twenty, Vanzetti came to Massachusetts and settled in the town of Plymouth as a fish trader. After coming to the United States with his dreams held high, he immediately saw the injustice experienced by immigrants in the work force. Like Sacco, he became involved in left-wing politics and took on an anarchist approach to the non protective government he saw himself surrounded by. Vanzetti eventually met Sacco at a left-wing political meeting where the two became friends and began their history of fighting the American government together in any way they saw possible. [4]
Trying to be rebels against American government, Sacco and Vanzetti, like many other left-wing politicals, were against the First World War. They participated in a number of protests objecting to the United States involvement in the matter, but their efforts came to avail. In 1917, just as the war began for the United States, Sacco and Vanzetti fled to Mexico for the duration of the war and would not return until the armistice was signed in the end of 1918. [5] Upon their unfavorable return to America, Nicola and Bartolomeo were arrested and charged with the murder of a paymaster and the guard of a shoe factory named Frederick Parmenter and Alessandro Berardelli in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. So-called “witnesses” had claimed that the two criminals were of Italian decent, and after Sacco and Vanzetti were chosen as the ones at fault the police’s stated reasoning consisted of the assumption that the two men had killed the shoe factory workers in an effort to fund their anarchist political campaigns. [6] Neither Sacco nor Vanzetti had any previous criminal records, however the sole fact that both were in some way “against” the American government during the Red Scare gave plenty enough leverage to begin the trial that started on May 21, 1921. [7]
The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti was one of much bias and racial disadvantage. Many of the alibis given by supporters of the two men’s innocence were given by other Italian immigrants whose stories had to be given to the jury in badly translated scripts. Also, Sacco and Vanzetti themselves did not have full knowledge of the English language which they needed badly in order to defend themselves in an American courtroom. [8] The previously held political beliefs of both men had also come to light in the media which, in turn, created a negative impact on the trial’s eventual outcome. The prosecution used the media spotlight to repeatedly remind the jury of the two Italian American men’s anti-American political beliefs. A case, which was supposed to be centered on the facts of a murder, had become an investigation of two men’s allegiance to their country. [9] The United States of America, which Sacco and Vanzetti had left their native Italy to create new lives in, had sadly revealed a harsh reality in which the two men had no choice but to take action against. The endless fight of the immigrant worker in an increasingly conservative American society was the true battle being waged by the two Italian immigrants. However, despite all the efforts made by Sacco and Vanzetti, nothing could truly triumph over the biased Red Scare society of 1920s Massachusetts. On April 9, 1927 Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti had been sentenced to death by the court of Massachusetts. [10] Much of the nation and world was very indifferent towards the decision made by the court; however, nothing could save the lives of the two men any more. Sacco and Vanzetti were executed on August 23, 1927 and the political mentality of 20th century America has never been looked at the same way since.
From the beginning of Sacco and Vanzetti’s trial, media attention around the world had brought the murder case involving the two men to a global audience of people. In fact, in several countries around the globe, demonstrations took place to protest the treatment of immigrants in the very country that proclaimed to be free and just to all who seek its opportunities. [11] However, the protests of thousands upon thousands of individuals around the world was not enough to save the lives of two Italians immigrants who felt unsatisfied with the way their kind was being treated in the nation they had sacrificed everything to be a part of. To this very day, a march is held around the world to commemorate the sacrifice made by Sacco and Vanzetti and remember the racial prejudice experienced by many immigrants during the first Red Scare in American history. [12] At least, in the eyes of Vanzetti, the trial and all of its repercussions had actually enriched his life in a way that he could never have imagined, "If it had not been for this thing, I might have lived out my life talking at street corners to scorning men. I might have died, unmarked, unknown, a failure. Now we are not a failure. This is our career and our triumph. Never in our full life can we hope to do such work for tolerance, justice, for man's understanding of man, as now we do by accident. Our words - our lives - our pains - nothing! The taking of our lives - lives of a good shoemaker and a poor fish peddler - all! That last moment belong to us - that agony is our triumph” (Vanzetti New York Times). [13]
Citations:
- [1] Blake, Virgil. "About Red Scare (1918-1921)." About Red Scare (1918-1921). Queens College, City University of New York, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/library/alumni/online_exhibits/digital/redscare/ABOUT_RS.HTM>.
- [2] "The Red Scare." The Red Scare [ushistory.org]. Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia, 2008. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/47a.asp>.
- [3] Sacco & Vanzetti Exhibit." Sacco & Vanzetti Exhibit. Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, 21 June 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.mass.gov/courts/sjc/sacco-vanzetti.html>.
- [4] Blake, Virgil. "About Red Scare (1918-1921)." <http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/library/alumni/online_exhibits/digital/redscare/ABOUT_RS.HTM>.
- [5] Sacco & Vanzetti Exhibit. <http://www.mass.gov/courts/sjc/sacco-vanzetti.html>.
- [6] "The Red Scare." <http://www.ushistory.org/us/47a.asp>.
- [7] "The Red Scare." <http://www.ushistory.org/us/47a.asp>.
- [8] Sacco & Vanzetti Exhibit. <http://www.mass.gov/courts/sjc/sacco-vanzetti.html>.
- [9] "Sacco and Vanzetti Executed." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sacco-and-vanzetti-executed>.
- [10] Linder, Douglas. "The Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti." Famous American Trials. N.p., 2000. Web. <http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/saccov/saccov.htm>.
- [11] "Sacco and Vanzetti Executed.” <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sacco-and-vanzetti-executed>.
- [12] Sacco & Vanzetti Exhibit. <http://www.mass.gov/courts/sjc/sacco-vanzetti.html>.
- [13] Linder, Douglas. "The Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti."
Bibliography
-Red Scare-
-Sacco & Vanzetti Murder Case-
1. Baker, Helen. "The Red Scare and Women's Peace Activism, 1920s, Introduction." The Red Scare and Women's Peace Activism, 1920s, Introduction. State University of New York at Binghamton, Spring 1998. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://womhist.alexanderstreet.com/wilpf/intro.htm>.
2. Blake, Virgil. "About Red Scare (1918-1921)." About Red Scare (1918-1921). Queens College, City University of New York, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/library/alumni/online_exhibits/digital/redscare/ABOUT_RS.HTM>.
3. D'Attilio, Robert. "The Sacco-Vanzetti Case (overview)." The Sacco-Vanzetti Case (overview). N.p., 17 July 2007. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/sacvan.html>.
4. Linder, Douglas. "The Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti." Famous American Trials. N.p., 2000. Web. <http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/saccov/saccov.htm>.
5. Palmer, Mitchell. "Fear of Dissent." Between the Wars: The Red Scare. Readings on American Life, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/hist409/palmer.html>.
6. "The Red Scare in the 1920." The Red Scare in the 1920. The History Learning Site, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/red_scare_1920s_America.htm>.
7. "The Red Scare." The Red Scare - Sacco and Vanzetti Case. United States History, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1343.html>.
8. "The Red Scare." The Red Scare [ushistory.org]. Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia, 2008. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/47a.asp>.
9. "Sacco & Vanzetti Exhibit." Sacco & Vanzetti Exhibit. Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, 21 June 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.mass.gov/courts/sjc/sacco-vanzetti.html>.
10. "Sacco and Vanzetti Executed." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sacco-and-vanzetti-executed>.
11. "Sacco and Vanzetti Put to Death Early This Morning." "On This Day" New York Times, 2010. Web. <http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0823.html#article>.
12. "Sacco and Vanzetti." Sacco and Vanzetti. Sacco and Vanzetti Commemoration Society, 2007. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://saccoandvanzetti.org/>.