The Scottsboro Trials had an extensive impact on America and affects people today. The results of the Scottsboro trial highlighted some of the U.S Supreme Court system’s flaws. At the time of the Scottsboro cases, the jury and judges of the supreme court were white supremacist. In such cases, true innocence or guilt didn’t matter. By the end of the Scottsboro trials the sixth amendment was taken more seriously. Those put on trial were given more rights such as the right to competent counsel. When someone can’t afford a good lawyer the state is forced to provide them with one. With the right to competent counsel, people were able to change that assigned lawyer to fit them better. This was because, the lawyer of the Scottsboro boys was a alcoholic and did not do much for their favor. Another right that was given was a jury of your peers. The people of the jury now were required to be unbiased and had to go through a long process to make sure it was going to be a fair trial. This was because the jury of the Scottsboro trial was full of white men who were ethnocentric and believed that whites were superior, therefore it was an unfair trial from the start. Lastly, one of the more well known effects of the Scottsboro trial was the nationally famous book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (TKAM). TKAM was loosely based on the Scottsboro Trials and showed the terrible racial discrimination that occurred during that time period. The book won many awards and was the only book ever published by Harper Lee. To conclude, The Scottsboro Trials had many effects on American Society and will continue to be an important yet tragic part of American History. 

*AP NewsRoom*