American Experience (1988)

S13E10 Scottsboro: An American Tragedy

Title: Scottsboro: An American Tragedy Plot: This documentary explores the prolonged battle over 17 years to exonerate nine African American men wrongfully accused of raping two white women in Alabama in 1931. The narrative highlights the involvement of communist activists and the case's pivotal role in shaping the civil rights movement, featuring historical photographs, archival footage, insights from historians, and performances by actors like Stanley Tucci and Frances McDormand. As narrator Andre Braugher states, "Ultimately, the state of Alabama yielded not only to logic but also to fatigue."