The Sacco and Vanzetti Case: A Political Sentence

HISTORY – On May 5, 1920, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two Italian immigrants and anarchist activists, were arrested for the murder of two individuals during a robbery. Their trial, tainted by prejudice against foreigners and dissenters, would last until 1927, the year of their execution, despite international protests. It was not until 1977 that Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis declared their “moral rehabilitation.”

A closer look at the controversial trial of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two Italian immigrants and anarchists executed in the United States in 1927. This image was generated by an artificial intelligence for illustration purposes. © Natalie2310 / Midjourney

Culture

Published on May 20, 2023 – 07:46 GMT +02:00

Stereotypes and American Panic

Sacco and Vanzetti were also suspected of another failed armed attack that occurred a few months earlier. At the time, America was gripped by panic, and the “WASP” (White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant) public opinion demanded severe sanctions against European agitators accused of introducing chaotic ideology and violence into the country. The two Italian anarchists became scapegoats.

A Biased Judgment

Judge Webster Thayer of the Dedham court and prosecutor Frederick Katzman were the main protagonists in this legal battle. Thayer, who coveted the position of Massachusetts governor, showed hostility towards the defendants throughout the trial. Katzman, on the other hand, used his arguments as a stepping stone to the position of state attorney general.

A Sentence Despite the Evidence

The second trial, for the deadly South Baintree robbery, began on May 31, 1921. Despite the defense’s efforts to highlight the flaws in the prosecution’s testimonies, Thayer and Katzman seemed to control the course of the trial. Sacco and Vanzetti were sentenced to death on July 14, 1921, despite international mobilization in their favor.

A Tragic Outcome

The conviction was upheld on April 9, 1927. However, in the meantime, a major event should have changed the outcome: in November 1925, Celestino Madeiros, a prisoner at Dedham jail for theft, sent a letter to Sacco confessing his involvement in the South Baintree robbery and exonerating the two Italians. But this confession was not enough to shake Judge Thayer’s punitive resolve, and he rejected it without appeal.

The Final Sentence

After the definitive conviction of the two anarchists, lawyer William Thompson made a last-ditch effort by asking Massachusetts Governor Alvan T. Fuller to review the trial records. Fuller read thousands of pages but found no reason to overturn the death sentence. The world held its breath.

The people must know that their leader is not insensitive to the suffering of an Italian, wherever he is and whoever he is.

Even Mussolini intervened, but to no avail. Just minutes after midnight on August 23, 1927, Sacco was the first to be strapped to the electric chair, followed by Vanzetti.

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