June 5th, 1893 was the beginning of the State of Massachusetts v. Borden trail, also known as the Lizzie Borden trial, that famously examined if a woman could murder. The Borden household was comprised of Andrew Borden, the father, Abbey Borden, the stepmother, and the two sisters, Lizzie and Emma Borden. According to Douglas Linder, professor of law at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, Lizzie Borden “belonged to numerous clubs” and “was [an] active member in her church” (Linder “Biographies”). Lizzie was a leader in her community whom many respected and acknowledged so the thought of her committing such gruesome murders seemed unlikely. It was also known however that Andrew Borden, Lizzie’s father, was somewhat of a withholder of …show more content…
Professor Linder insists that the most important witness was Bridget Sullivan, the housemaid of the Borden’s as she described “that she had not witnessed, during her two years of service to the family, signs of the rumored ugly relationship between Lizzie and her stepmother” (Linder “Account”). Bashing any thought of hatred for a motive for the murders and left only an unclear ax head and timeline for the prosecution to argue on. As the trial wore on it became vague who would come out on top since the physical evidence against Lizzie was strong, but the defenses counters including motive and testimonies were strong as well. The novel Outlaws, Mobsters and Crooks states that Lizzie’s defense attorney, Andrew Jennings, made one final plea before the jury “To find her guilty, you must believe she is a fiend” and followed with “Gentlemen, does she look it?” (Outlaws “Lizzie”). This final cry must have had an influence on the final verdict, the jury thought the poor Lizzie Borden was harmless contrary to the evidence. The trial started out with a gruesome sight followed by some convincing evidence by the prosecution, but this was all cut down by the prosecution's failure to present a motive adding to the unbelievable thought that a women could …show more content…
Tensions were high in the courtroom and the verdict was announced; Lizzie Borden was not guilty. Reporters from the entire nation rambled on about the true justice of the verdict. Sources also indicate that the press churned out “prose declaiming Lizzie’s innocence, the evil intentions of the police and prosecutors, the weakness of their case and the nobility with which Borden bore her suffering” (Powers “Borden”). The absolute partisan opinion of the public was wrong however, the evidence was obvious against Borden but yet there was no conviction.This inequitable verdict was eventually expanded upon and questioned by modern professionals. Michael Martins, an orator and author of Parallel Lives: A Social History of Lizzie Borden and Fall River, stated that the trial itself was “badly bungled by the police and prosecution” (Booth “Vengeful”). Which may suggest an unfair or biased trail due unprofessional investigators and jurors which only lends itself to an unfair verdict. That, lead to questions about the utter accusations in the
The first reason that Lizzie Borden is guilty is that Lizzie Borden switched up her story many times. In the inquest testimony Lizzie says “I was in the kitchen” (3). She was asked if she was sure about that and then she changed her story. She said she couldn’t remember if she was in there or in the dining room (3). Lizzie then changes her answer again
Imagine being wrongfully trialled for the murders of your father and stepmother. Well, this was Lizzie Borden’s reality in the notorious 19th century case. In August, 1892, the gruesome murders of Andrew and Abby Borden took place in a small town named Fall River. Because Lizzie Borden was believed to have a lot to gain with the murders of her parents, she was the only one accused of being the murder. With this case, I believe the council was right for pleading Lizzie as innocent. The public and police tried to use theories against her in court to prove she was guilty. With the whole public against her, Lizzie still stood strong and was proven innocent for the murders.
... She could not even explain exactly what happened at that time; rather, she kept saying ‘I do not know, but they raped me anyways.’ Besides, the medical evidence showing that they did not rape her and Bates should have been regarded as important proof, but it was useless to prove their innocence. Even the juries were all selected as the Whites, and there were some juries who were illiterate. These circumstances sound obviously unfair and tragic in that the unfair trials led all Blacks to being imprisoned.
After Lizzie Borden's mother passed away her father remarried. Lizzie was unable to accept this new marriage and new stepmother who her father brought into their home. Lizzie was so troubled over this that she attempted to kill her father and stepmother by poisoning them, which was unsuccessful. In her second attempt Lizzie whacked them both to death by using a hatchet. Thought Lizzie was found innocent after several trials the truth was never discovered. When Lizzie Borden died, she took the truth with her, being the only person to ever really knowing the truth to what happened to her father and stepmother that August day.
The McCarthy era is very similar to the Salem Witch trials. They are both similar, because they both dealt with hysteria. Hysteria is an uncontrollable fear or outburst of emotion. Both things had to do with people accusing each other of people being communist, and people being witches.
Billy Joel once sang, “Only the good die young”. In life, it is true, the young and innocent seem to touch more lives around us than anyone else. In the Casey Anthony trial, Anthony was a suspect in the murder of her daughter Caylee. Caylee’s life shouldn’t be counted in years, it should be counted by how many lives she affected, the love she has gained, and the support the country has given her to find out what really happened. In the play, Twelve Angry Men, a boy killed his father; however, both cases were challenged by the obvious and the abstruse evidence. Large cities towards the east coast, in 1982, Twelve Angry Men, and 2008, Casey Anthony Trial, affiliated with two major trials able to modify the lives of the living and the dead. For that reason, during the Casey Anthony case, jurors were conflicted throughout the trial.
The Abigail Hobbs trial was one of many of the Salem Witch Trial. People often had to face the court for a crime they did not do commit. Fortunately enough Abigail Hobbs was one of the people accused who was somewhat educated. Her tone and behavior was calm and collected while facing the people who determined her faith. Some people who were charged with these crimes were uneducated and could not defend themselves. Abigail Hobbs went along with court when she was on trial she agreed with them to hopefully save her life.
similarity to the Salem witch trials. The McCarthy hearings are trials in which Senator Joe McCarthy accuses government employees of being Communists. He exaggerates and exploits the evidence and ruins many reputations just as the girls do in the Salem witch trials. The accused, in both cases, are used as scapegoats for society’s problems and the only way to escape direct punishment is to admit to guilt.
Life. Life is what gives you the ability to think, to speak, to breath and to be a part of this world. It is worth more than any amount of money, your life is priceless. Without it, we would seize to exist; our world would be utter darkness. Honourable Judge, Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, today Mary Maloney stands on trial before you. A woman who took the away the life of not just an innocent citizen, but her very own husband. She was thought to be an ordinary women, a typical housewife and a soon to be loving mother. However, the facts presented before you today conclude that Mary Maloney was not just an unordinary detective’s wife, but also a murder. On April 13th 1953, the life of Patrick Maloney came to a tragic end because of leg of lamb in the hands of Mary Maloney. For the following reasons, Mary Maloney, wife of the deceased, is guilty of 1st degree murder.
In the modern day it’s hard to believe there’s even still ‘’witch hunts’’ as you can say where a group of people are stereotyped as something without them doing the actual stereotypical thing. We live in a world where blacks are getting shot for no reason when they were just walking down the street unarmed and not harming anyone. Blacks and Latinos are always looked down upon in any shape or form. They could be driving a nice car they get pulled over for suspicion of a stolen car, they can get pulled over in an old broken car and they will get pulled over for suspicion of ‘’criminal activity’’. But if it’s a white person the cops will NOT bat a single eye at them despite being in the same situations as the black. And you know what the problem
The Salem Witch Trials took place in the summer and into the fall of the year 1692, and during this dark time of American history, over 200 people had been accused of witchcraft and put in jail. Twenty of these accused were executed; nineteen of them were found guilty and were put to death by hanging. One refused to plead guilty, so the villagers tortured him by pressing him with large stones until he died. The Salem Witch Trials was an infamous, scary time period in American history that exhibited the amount of fear people had of the devil and the supernatural; the people of this time period accused, arrested, and executed many innocent people because of this fear, and there are several theories as to why the trials happened (Brooks).
On the morning of July 4, 1954, Marilyn Sheppard was violently beaten in her home in Bay Village, Ohio, on the shore of Lake Erie. She was four months pregnant and had been felled by 35 vicious blows (Quade). Right away Sam Sheppard was accused of being the victim to do this. Sheppard had told investigators that he had been asleep downstairs and was awakened by his wife’s screams. Sheppard said when he went upstairs and entered the room he was knocked unconscious by the intruder. He denied any involvement and described his battle with the killer he described as “bushy-haired” (Linder). After a police investigation, Dr. Sam Sheppard was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. With the hectic media covering it, they were quick in decision that it was him that committed the murder. This was an unfair trial, ruined a man’s life, and gave him no time for a career.
The Rosenberg trial, which ended in a double execution in 1953, was one of the century's most controversial trials. It was sometimes referred to as, "the best publicized spy hunt of all times" as it came to the public eye in the time of atom-spy hysteria. Husband and wife, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, were charged with conspiracy to commit espionage. Most of the controversy surrounding this case came from mass speculation that there were influences being reinforced by behind-the-scenes pressure, mainly from the government, which was detected through much inconsistencies in testimonies and other misconduct in the court. Many shared the belief that Ethel Rosenberg expressed best as she wrote in one of her last letters before being executed, "-knowing my husband and I must be vindicated by history.
There are some events in history that put the human race to shame; however, these occasions can change our future forever. Society cannot deny that social injustices occur almost every day, maybe even more than once. One large blemish in our history, the Salem Witch Trials, alienated a certain group in our society. These trials were an unfortunate combination of economic conditions, a flock’s strife, teenage boredom, and personal jealousies.
Sayres, William G. “Compounding the Crime: Ingratitude and the Murder Conviction of Justine Moritz in Frankenstein.” Sayres, "Compounding the Crime", knarf.english.upenn.edu/Articles/sayres.html.