Sacco and Vanzetti: The 1927 Execution That Shook the World
On August 23, 1927, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, anarchists originally from Italy, were executed by electrocution at Charlestown State Prison in Massachusetts. Their trial, which became one of the most notorious of the 20th century, followed their arrest in 1920 for a robbery and double homicide at the Slater and Morrill shoe factory in South Braintree. Convicted during the First Red Scare's anti-radical frenzy, the case revealed significant prejudices within the US justice system, with Judge Webster Thayer urging jurors to prioritize 'supreme American loyalty' and witnesses labeling the defendants as 'foreign looking.' Despite protests worldwide and endorsements from prominent figures such as Albert Einstein and Marie Curie, their appeals were unsuccessful. The execution ignited global protests, and their influence persisted in various cultural forms, including the 1971 film 'Sacco e Vanzetti' and the ballad by Joan Baez and Ennio Morricone. In 1977, Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts issued a proclamation condemning the trial's injustices.
Key facts
- Sacco and Vanzetti were executed on August 23, 1927, at Charlestown State Prison.
- They were arrested on May 5, 1920, for the robbery and murder at the Slater and Morrill shoe factory in South Braintree, Massachusetts.
- The trial began on May 31, 1921, at Dedham Superior Court, with Judge Webster Thayer presiding.
- They were found guilty on July 14, 1921, and sentenced to death on April 9, 1927.
- The case was influenced by the First Red Scare and the Palmer Raids, led by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer.
- Key figures included prosecutor Frederick G. Katzmann, defense counsel Fred Moore, and later William G. Thompson.
- International protests occurred in cities like London, Paris, Rome, and Santiago.
- In 1977, Governor Michael Dukakis issued a proclamation denouncing the trial's biases.
Entities
Artists
- Nicola Sacco
- Bartolomeo Vanzetti
- Frederick A. Parmenter
- Alessandro Berardelli
- Michael E. Stewart
- Mario 'Mike' Buda
- Andrea Salsedo
- A. Mitchell Palmer
- J. Edgar Hoover
- Luigi Galleani
- Frederick G. Katzmann
- Fred Moore
- William H. Proctor
- Webster Thayer
- William G. Thompson
- Walter Ripley
- Celestino Madeiros
- Felix Frankfurter
- A. Lawrence Lowell
- Carlo Tresca
- Aldo Felicani
- John Dos Passos
- Upton Sinclair
- Ernst Hemingway
- Marie Curie
- Albert Einstein
- Thomas Mann
- H. G. Wells
- George Bernard Shaw
- Diego Rivera
- Benito Mussolini
- Ba Jin
- Joan Baez
- Ennio Morricone
- Giuliano Montaldo
- Ferris Greenslet
- Michael S. Dukakis
- Rosa Zambelli
- Dante Sacco
Institutions
- Slater and Morrill shoe factory
- Bridgewater Police
- Bureau of Investigation
- General Intelligence Division
- Cronaca Sovversiva
- Dedham Superior Court
- Norfolk County Courthouse
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
- Harvard Law School
- Atlantic Monthly
- Sacco-Vanzetti Defense Committee
- New York Call
- Boston America
- William Randolph Hearst
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Library of Congress
- Wikimedia Commons
- The Patriot Ledger
- Spaarnestad Photo
- Boston Public Library
Locations
- Charlestown State Prison
- Massachusetts
- Braintree
- South Braintree
- Bridgewater
- Dedham
- New York
- Italy
- Villafalletto
- Piedmont
- Torremaggiore
- Apulia
- Mexico
- Ellis Island
- Plymouth
- Russia
- France
- Germany
- Argentina
- Australia
- New Zealand
- China
- Paris
- London
- Rome
- Le Havre
- Basel
- Santiago
- The Hague
- Netherlands
- Washington DC