N. Pauly
Unit: Roaring 1920’s
Lesson Sacco and Vanzetti
Materials:
Overhead of Sacco and Vanzetti mosaic from Syracuse University (Ben Shahn’s website)
Worksheet on closing arguments of trial
Catharine Huntington’s letter from the Porter Phelps Huntington Papers at Amherst College, Amherst MA. Box 97
Folder 3.
Objectives:
The students will be able to:
Discern from the picture what court case is going to be presented in class.
Explain major points of the Sacco and Vanzetti case.
Create and write a new closing argument from the view of the prosecution or the defense.
Rationale why people protest.
Introduction:
Put the image of Sacco and Vanzetti mosaic on the overhead.
Ask students what court case from last night’s reading is being presented here. Have the students give a brief introduction to the case.
Procedure:
On April 15, 1920, a paymaster and a guard were shot and killed. The robbers took with them $15, 776 in cash. They were supposedly held up by two men. Several days later, two Italian immigrants by the name of Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested and charged with robbery and murder. At the time of their arrest, they were both carrying guns that matched the type of guns used in the murder. They were put on trial and found guilty of murder and robbery on July 14, 1921 and sentenced to death. After many failed attempts to have another trial, both Sacco and Vanzetti were executed on April 9, 1927
A group of students (approx 3) will receive a worksheet and assigned a role of either the prosecution (Frederick Katzmann) or the attorney for the defense (Fred Moore). Each group will be responsible for discussing the points which are in dispute and then writing a closing argument that tries to sway the jury to their direction. Each group will be provided with a handout that mentions these points. After they are finished, they will present their arguments to class.
Catherine Huntington was a well to do actress from Massachusetts and New York. She gave a statement in protest of the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti. In her protest, she was accompanied by many famous writers/ activists such as Edna St. Vincent Millay and Felix Frankfurter. After reading this letter, answer the questions below.
Closure:
The class is responsible for giving me five points that they learned in class.
Homework:
Read the next section in the chapter.
United States History Standard
Resource Guide – Sacco and Vanzetti Trial
Red Scare
Anti Immigrant Feelings
Name:
Group:
Sacco and Vanzetti Closing Arguments
Defense - Fred Moore
Argumentative Points:
The defendants do not speak very good English.
A poor translator was provided
At this time, the government was concerned with hunting down Communists “Red Scare”
There were activities of the police that were illegal
Did not look at a previous robber by the name of Madeiros
Counter eyewitness
Sacco was in Boston for a passport the day of the killing
Vanzetti was seen selling fish on the day of the killing
There was another robbery at the same time committed by the Morelli gang
Sacco said that a cap that was seen on him that day he did not own
Write your closing argument here:
Name:
Group:
Sacco and Vanzetti Closing Arguments
Prosecution - Frederick Katzmann
Argumentative Points:
Anti foreign feeling in the United States
They were both anarchist militants
Were seen in the area of the murder
No alibi for the day
People identified them at the crime scene
Bullets match Sacco’s gun
People saw them in the getaway car
They were part of a gang
Sacco’s cap was found at the scene
Sacco initially lied about his whereabouts for the day
Vanzetti’s gun looked like the one used in the robbery
Write your closing argument here:
Name:
Group:
Catharine Huntington’s Letter
Please answer the questions below: