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Learn about the controversial trial and execution of two Italian anarchists in 1920s America. Explore the background, evidence, appeals, and legacy of the case that sparked worldwide protests and debates.
Aug 30, 2024 · Sacco and Vanzetti were two Italian anarchists executed in 1927 for a murder they may or may not have committed. Learn about their trial, the controversy, and the legacy of their case in this Britannica article.
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On April 15, 1920, a paymaster for a shoe company in South Braintree, Massachusetts, was shot and killed along with his guard. The murderers, who were described as two Italian men, escaped with more than $15,000. After going to a garage to claim a car that police said was connected with the crime, Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested and charged with t...
Anti-radical sentiment was running high in America at the time, and the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti was regarded by many as unlawfully sensational. Authorities had failed to come up with any evidence of the stolen money, and much of the other evidence against them was later discredited. During the next few years, sporadic protests were held in Mass...
In 1961, a test of Saccos gun using modern forensic techniques apparently proved it was his gun that killed the guard, though little evidence has been found to substantiate Vanzettis guilt. In 1977, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis issued a proclamation vindicating Sacco and Vanzetti, stating that they had been treated unjustly and that no st...
Learn about the controversial case of the Italian anarchists who were convicted and executed for murder in 1927 despite worldwide protests and doubts about their guilt. Find out how their trial and execution shaped American history and politics.
May 27, 2021 · Learn how the Italian anarchists became media sensations and symbols of prejudice in the American justice system. Explore their trial, appeals, execution, and legacy in this article from Smithsonian magazine.
- Annika Neklason
- Neither Sacco nor Vanzetti had a criminal record before his arrest. Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco both immigrated to the United States from Italy in 1908.
- The Sacco and Vanzetti case followed a wave of anti-communist sentiment. During Sacco’s interrogation, police ignored his request for a lawyer. No one told him or Vanzetti they were suspected of robbery and murder; instead, the two Italians assumed they’d been arrested over their staunch anarchist views.
- Sacco and Vanzetti were caught lying during questioning. At their first interrogation, Sacco and Vanzetti denied ever visiting the garage in question.
- Jurors may have been against Sacco and Vanzetti from the start. On May 31, 1921, the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti began in the Norfolk County Courthouse in Dedham, Massachusetts.
Aug 22, 2017 · A little more than a year later, a jury convicted Sacco and Vanzetti of robbery and murder — even though the evidence against the two was mostly circumstantial, according to Moshik Temkin, a...
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Learn about the trial and execution of two Italian anarchists accused of murder in 1920s America. Explore a broadside that criticizes the verdict and the Harvard committee that reviewed the case.
