Famous trials

Paper 2: Famous trials

Go to http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/ftrials.htm. Select one of the following three trials to analyze: Leo Frank; The Scottsboro boys; or Sam Sheppard. Read as much as you can about your selected case on this site. Obtain at least two other research sources on the case through Internet or other research. Write a paper concerning the case where you discuss the following issues:

the factual background of the case;
the evidence introduced against the defendants at trial;
the outcome of the case at trial and on appeal;
the legal issues involved in the case and historical significance of the case in the American legal system;
Conclusion.

Please attribute your research and any ideas that are not your own. Please include a works cited page at the end of your paper. A suitable length on this assignment is 8-12 paragraphs.

Rubric

Criteria	Description	Points
Factual background	Facts/occurrences outside of court are presented with sufficient detail and context. Geographic and historical setting of the case described.	20
Evidence at trial	Identifies and discusses the evidence presented by the prosecution and the defense at trial.	20
Outcome at trial and on appeal	Correctly states and discusses the jury decision and the decision made on appeal	10
Legal issues/historical significance	Correctly identifies the important legal issues in the case and places the historical significance of the case in proper context. Why did this case receive such notoriety?	20
Research	Attributes research in the body of the paper and on a works cited page. Quality of research is appropriate for a 400 level class	10
Detail	Paper is at least 8-12 paragraphs in length	10
Mechanics	Relatively free of errors in spelling, diction, and sentence structure	5
Conclusion	Provides a conclusion	5
Total		100

Solution Preview

On 25^th March of 1931, nine African American boys were riding the rails illegally looking for work. However, they were forced of the rail at Scottsboro, Alabama. This happened after some white boys had been unable to eject them from the train…

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