- 1931
| Mar 25 | (Scottsboro Boys) A posse stops Southern Railroad train in Paint Rock, Alabama. Scottsboro boys are arrested on charges of assault. Rape charges are added against all nine boys after accusations are made by Victoria Price and Ruby Bates. | Ref: 87 |
| Mar 26 | (Scottsboro Boys) The Scottsboro boys are nearly lynched by crowd of over 100 gathered around Scottsboro's jail. | Ref: 87 |
| Mar 30 | (Scottsboro Boys) A grand jury indicts the nine Scottsboro boys for rape. | Ref: 87 |
| Apr 06 | (Scottsboro Boys) Trials begin in Scottsboro, AL before Judge A. E. Hawkins. Nine blacks are accused of rape. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 07 | (Scottsboro Boys) (thru the 9th) Clarence Norris, Charlie Weems, Haywood Patterson, Olen Montgomery, Ozie Powell, Willie Roberson, Eugene Williams, and Andy Wright are tried and convicted, and sentenced to death. The trial of Roy Wright ends in a mistrial when some jurors hold out for a death sentence even though the prosecution asked for life imprisonment. | Ref: 87 |
| Jun 22 | (Scottsboro Boys) Executions are stayed pending appeal to Alabama Supreme Court. | Ref: 87 |
| Jul 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) On the date first set for their executions, the Scottsboro boys listen to the execution of Willie Stokes, the first of ten blacks to be executed at the prison over the next ten years. After hearing gruesome reports of the execution, many of the boys report nightmares or sleepless nights. | Ref: 87 |
- 1932
| Jan 05 | (Scottsboro Boys) Ruby Bates, in a letter to a Earl Streetman, denies that she was raped. | Ref: 87 |
| Jan 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) The NAACP withdraws from case. (The NAACP and International Labor Defense (ILD) had been battling for the right to represent the Scottsboro boys since April, 1931). | Ref: 87 |
| Mar 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Alabama Supreme Court, by a vote of 6-1, affirms the convictions of seven of the boys. The conviction of Eugene Williams is reversed on the grounds that he was a juvenile under state law in 1931. | Ref: 87 |
| May 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) The U. S. Supreme Court announces that it will review the Scottsboro cases. | Ref: 87 |
| Nov 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) The Supreme Court, by a vote of 7-2, reverses the convictions of the Scottsboro boys in Powell vs. Alabama. Grounds for reversal are that Alabama failed to provide adequate assistance of counsel as required by the due process clause of the 14th Amendment. | Ref: 87 |
- 1933
| Jan 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Samuel S. Leibowitz, a New York lawyer, is retained by the ILD to defend the Scottsboro boys. | Ref: 87 |
| Mar 27 | (Scottsboro Boys) Haywood Patterson's second trial begins in Decatur, AL before Judge James Horton. | Ref: 87 |
| Apr 09 | (Scottsboro Boys) Haywood Patterson found guilty by jury and sentenced to death in the electric chair. | Ref: 87 |
| Apr 18 | (Scottsboro Boys) Judge Horton postpones the trials of the other Scottsboro boys because of dangerously high local tensions. | Ref: 87 |
| May 07 | (Scottsboro Boys) In one of many protests around the nation, thousands march in Washington protesting the Alabama trials. | Ref: 87 |
| Jun 22 | (Scottsboro Boys) Judge Horton sets aside Haywood Patterson's conviction and grants a new trial. | Ref: 87 |
| Oct 20 | (Scottsboro Boys) The Scottsboro cases are removed from Judge Horton's jurisdiction and transferred to Judge William Callahan's court. Subsequently, Haywood Patterson and Clarence Norris are tried for rape, convicted, and sentenced to death. | Ref: 87 |
| Nov 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (date approximate): Trials begin for Haywood Patterson and Clarence Norris. They are tried for rape, convicted, and sentenced to death. | |
- 1934
| Jun 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) The Alabama Supreme Court affirms the convictions of Haywood and Norris. | Ref: 87 |
| Jun 12 | (Scottsboro Boys) Judge Horton, who had faced no opposition in his previous race, is defeated in his bid for re-election. | Ref: 87 |
| Oct 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Two lawyers are charged with attempting to bribe Victoria Price in order to change her testimony. | Ref: 87 |
- 1935
| Jan 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) The U. S. Supreme Court agrees to review the most recent Scottsboro convictions. | Ref: 87 |
| Apr 01 | (Scottsboro Boys) The U.S. Supreme Court overturns the convictions of Norris and Patterson because African Americans were excluded from sitting on the juries in their trials. Patterson v. State of Alabama, 294 U.S. 600 (1935); Norris v. State of Alabama, 294 U.S. 587 (1935) | Ref: 87 |
| Dec 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) The Scottsboro Defense Committee is organized. | Ref: 87 |
- 1936
| Jan 23 | (Scottsboro Boys) Haywood Patterson is convicted for a fourth time of rape and is sentenced to 75 years in prison. | Ref: 87 |
| Jan 24 | (Scottsboro Boys) Ozzie Powell is shot in the head by Sheriff Jay Sandlin while attacking Deputy Sheriff Edgar Blalock. | Ref: 87 |
| Dec 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Thomas Knight meets with Samuel Liebowitz in New York to discuss a possible compromise. | Ref: 87 |
- 1937
| Jun 14 | (Scottsboro Boys) The conviction of Haywood Patterson is upheld by the Alabama Supreme Court. | Ref: 87 |
| Jul 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Clarence Norris is convicted of rape and sentenced to death. Andy Wright is convicted and sentenced to 99 years for rape. Charlie Weems is convicted and sentenced to 75 years. Ozzie Powell pleads guilty to assaulting the sheriff and is sentenced to 20 years. | Ref: 87 |
| Jul 24 | (Scottsboro Boys) Roy Wright, Eugene Williams, Olen Montgomery and Willie Roberson were released after all charges against them were dropped. | Ref: 87 |
| Oct 26 | (Scottsboro Boys) The U.S. Supreme Court declines to review the Patterson and Norris convictions. | Ref: 87 |
- 1938
| Jun 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) The Alabama Supreme Court upholds the death sentence for Clarence Norris. | Ref: 87 |
| Jul 05 | (Scottsboro Boys) Clarence Norris's death sentence is reduced to life in prison by Governor Graves. | Ref: 87 |
| Aug 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) The Alabama Pardon Board declines to pardon Patterson and Powell. | Ref: 87 |
| Oct 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Pardon Board denies the pardon applications of Norris, Weems, and Roy Wright. | Ref: 87 |
| Oct 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Governor Graves interviews Scottsboro boys. | Ref: 87 |
| Nov 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Governor Graves denies all pardon applications. | Ref: 87 |
- 1943
| Sep 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Charlie Weems is paroled. | Ref: 87 |
- 1944
| Jan 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Norris and Andy Wright are paroled. | Ref: 87 |
| Sep 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Norris and Wright leave Montgomery in violation of their paroles. | Ref: 87 |
| Oct 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Norris is returned to prison. | Ref: 87 |
- 1946
| Jun 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Ozzie Powell is paroled. | Ref: 87 |
| Sep 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Norris, paroled again, leaves Alabama. | Ref: 87 |
| Oct 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Andy Wright is returned to Kilby prison. | Ref: 87 |
- 1948
| Jul 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Haywood Patterson escapes from prison. | Ref: 87 |
- 1950
| Jun 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Andy Wright is paroled. FBI arrests Patterson, but Michigan's governor refuses extradition to Alabama. | Ref: 87 |
| Dec 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Patterson is involved in a barroom fight resulting in the death of another man. Haywood is charged with murder. | Ref: 87 |
- 1951
| Sep 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Patterson is convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 6 to 15 years. He dies of cancer less than a year later. | Ref: 87 |
- 1976
| Oct 25 | Gov Wallace grants full pardon to Clarence Norris, last known survivor of 9 Scottsboro Boys who were convicted in 1931 rape. | Ref: 5 |
- 1977
| Jul 10 | (Scottsboro Boys) (day unspecified) Victoria Price's suit against NBC for its movie "Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys," which she claimed defamed her and invaded her privacy, is dismissed. Price dies five years later. | Ref: 87 |
- 1989
| Jan 23 | (Scottsboro Boys) Clarence Norris, the last surviving Scottsboro boy, dies at age 76. | Ref: 87 |
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The Scottsboro Boys Trials Chronology