Who were Sacco and Vanzetti?

Sacco and Vanzetti were Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two Italian immigrants who were executed in 1927 in the United States for the murders of two men during a robbery in South Braintree, Massachusetts. The case drew national attention and became a cause célèbre for those who believed that the two men had been victims of anti-immigrant prejudice and class discrimination.

Sacco and Vanzetti:

- Nicola Sacco was born in 1891 in Torremaggiore, Italy, and immigrated to the United States in 1908. He worked as a shoemaker and was active in the anarchist movement.

- Bartolomeo Vanzetti was born in 1888 in Villafalletto, Italy, and immigrated to the United States in 1908. He worked as a fish peddler and was also active in the anarchist movement.

On April 15, 1920, a paymaster and his guard were killed during a robbery at the Slater and Morrill shoe factory in South Braintree, Massachusetts. Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested shortly after the robbery and were put on trial in May 1921. The trial was heavily publicized and attracted considerable attention from across the country.

The prosecution's case against Sacco and Vanzetti was largely circumstantial. The main evidence against them was the fact that they had both been seen in the vicinity of the robbery, and that they had both attempted to flee the country after the crime was committed. Sacco and Vanzetti maintained their innocence throughout the trial, and their supporters argued that they were being framed because of their political beliefs.

In July 1921, Sacco and Vanzetti were found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. Their case was appealed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, but the court upheld their convictions in 1924. The case also attracted international attention, and protests were held in many cities around the world calling for their release.

In 1925, the governor of Massachusetts appointed a special commission to review the case. The commission found no new evidence to exonerate Sacco and Vanzetti, but it did recommend that their sentences be commuted to life in prison. The governor refused to commute their sentences, and they were executed in the electric chair on August 23, 1927.

The case of Sacco and Vanzetti remains controversial to this day. Some believe that they were innocent of the crimes they were accused of, while others believe that they were guilty. The case has become a symbol of the injustice that can occur in the criminal justice system, and it continues to be studied by historians and criminologists.