Name: _____________________________________________________
US History
Date: ________________________
You Be The Jury
Directions: Read the following case and answer the questions based on it. Examine the evidence. At the end, come to a
verdict (decide if they should be found innocent or guilty) and give a reason for your decision.
The Case:
At 3:00 P.M. on April 15,1920, a paymaster
and his guard were carrying a factory
payroll of $15,776 through the main street
of South Braintree, Massachusetts, a small
factory town south of Boston. Two men
standing by a fence suddenly pulled out
guns and shot them. The gunmen took the
cash boxes and jumped into a waiting car.
The bandit gang, numbering four or five in
all, sped away, losing those who had chased
after them.
Three weeks later, on the evening of May 5,
1920, two men, Nicola Sacco and
Bartolomeo Vanzetti, fell into a police trap
that had been set for those suspected of the
murders and robbery. Although the men
were not thought to have been the
murderers, they were carrying guns at the time of their arrest and when questioned by the police they lied. As a result
they were held and eventually put in jail for the South Braintree robbery and murders, even though they had an alibi, or
a plausible story that said they were somewhere else when the murders had happened, and therefore couldn’t have
committed them.
The case went to court, and the two men were tried for the murders in South Braintree despite solid evidence. Vanzetti
was tried first, and spoke very little English. He could not defend himself in court, and some people say that his
testimony in court was not translated properly. To make matters worse, Vanzetti had been known as an anarchist, or
someone who did not believe in government, and wanted to overthrow all governments. This immediately made him
disliked by the court and some say that it stopped him from getting a fair trial.
Answer the following questions:
1.) Summarize the case: What’s going on?
2.) Who is involved?
3.) What happened in court?
The Evidence:
Police had the following evidence against the men; please also review the 1927 article summarizing the case linked
below.
Against which
Evidence
Explained:
man?:
Eyewitnesses
Sacco
Seven people said that Sacco was in or near Braintree
around the time of the crime. Some said that Sacco
looked like the robbers, but weren’t sure. None of the
people who “saw” Sacco were up close; they were from
over 70 feet away. They also were not required to pick
him out of a lineup.
Bullets
Sacco
One bullet removed from a victim was fired from a Colt
gun. Sacco owned a Colt gun, but it didn’t match the
barrel markings found on the bullets from the crime
scene.
A ripped hat
Sacco
A hat with a hole in it was found at the crime scene. It
was like the one he had. Sacco was forced to try it on in
court and it did not fit him.
Absence from work
Sacco
Sacco did not go to work the day of the crime, but claimed
that he was in Boston trying to get his passport and eating
at an Italian Restaurant; seven witnesses say he was a the
restaurant
Lies to the police
Sacco
Sacco said that he did not have radical/anarchist beliefs,
but then changed because he thought the police would
send his friends back to Italy.
Eyewitnesses
Vanzetti
Four witnesses say that they saw Vanzetti near the crime
scene. No one saw him during the actual shooting.
Vanzetti’s gun
Vanzetti
A gun found on Vanzetti was similar, but of a different
caliber, to the one owned by the paymaster who was
killed. Vanzetti said he bought the gun from a friend
Lies
Vanzetti
Vanzetti said that he was in Bridgewater to get anarchist
writings to give out, but he probably was picking up his
car from the shop.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1927/03/the-case-of-sacco-and-vanzetti/306625/
Your Verdict: Innocent or Guilty?: ____________________
Explain: ______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Name: ___________________________________
US History
Date: ________________________
The Sacco & Vanzetti Case: Highlighting America in the 1920s
Re-Cap: Sacco & Vanzetti Case
 This took place in _______________________________ (what state?) during_______________________(what
years?).
 The two men were arrested and put on trial for
______________________________________ and
______________________________________ of a shoe factory guard
and paymaster (what crimes?).
 List the main types/kinds of evidence that the police and
prosecutors in the case used to convict Sacco and
Vanzetti. ____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Background of Sacco & Vanzetti:
 Sacco and Vanzetti were originally from ______________________________(country?); they were
accused of murder and robbery on April 15th 1920.
 During the trial, it came out that politically, they believed that all government should be
______________________________ ; in other words, they were known as ___________________________.
 One reason that many people felt the two men did not to get a fair trial because they were
_________________________________ (a person who comes to the US from another land) who had
difficulty speaking __________________________________.
Climate of the United States: 1920s
 After World War I, many Americans became distrustful of labor ________________________
because they feared the influence of groups that they felt might damage the American way of
life.
 One reason for this fear was that a ________________________________ revolution took place in
___________________________ (what country?) and many feared that outside “agitators” would
start a revolution in the US as well.
 A fear of communism in the US led to what has been called the first “___________ scare.” During
this time, many people were __________________, or rounded-up and sent back to their country
of origin.
Communism Explained:
 Under communism, in order to equalize wealth and power, Communists
would put an end to _____________ property, substituting
____________________ownership of factories, railroads, and other businesses.
 The first Communist government in Russia was based on the teachings of
______________________ and Friedrich Engels. In 1848, these two had published an
extremely influential work called _________________ ________________________, which
outlined a theory of class struggle.
 A Communist Party formed in the United States. Seventy-thousand radicals
joined, including some from the _________________ Workers of the World (IWW),
Xenophobia, Nativism and the Deportation of Immigrants:
 Many Americans associated communism with foreigners, and this led to the fear of all
foreigners, known as __________________________ , and a belief that native-born Americans were
superior to foreign-born immigrants, a belief known as _______________________.
 In 1919 and 1920, US Attorney General A. Mitchell _________________ embarked on a series of law
enforcement raids to hunt down suspected Communists, socialists, and anarchists. Many
people were arrested, detained and deported without being charged with any crime.
Outcome of the Sacco and Vanzetti case:
Primary Documents – Read the archived New York Times article from August 23, 1927, available at:
http://www.lbsdk12.com/Page/2453




Sacco allegedly said, "_____________________________________________" as the prison guards placed
him in the chair and applied the electrodes to his body.
Sacco and Vanzetti both confessed to their crimes on the day they were executed. (True /
False – circle one)
What were the names of the victims of the crime for which Sacco and Vanzetti were
executed: the robbery and murder that took place at the Slater and Morrill shoe factory on
April 15, 1920? ________________________________________________
What precautions did the police take to ensure security during the execution of Sacco and
Vanzetti? __________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
 What was the name of the Portuguese immigrant executed with Sacco and Vanzetti?
_____________________________ What were his alleged crimes?_____________________________________