Commonwealth v. Sacco and Vanzetti

On August 23, 1927, two Italian-American immigrants and anarchist radicals in Boston were executed for murder after a seven-year judicial battle. Muddied by anti-Italian and anti-immigrant prejudice, fear of left-wing radicals, judicial ethics, and civil rights, the Sacco and Vanzetti case became one of America's most infamous murder trials and ignited passions worldwide. The story began one night in 1920, when two factory workers transporting payroll were shot dead in a robbery. Weeks later, police arrested Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti and found loaded pistols on their persons. Questions were raised about the subsequent trial and the state's investigative methods; did Sacco and Vanzetti receive a fair trial, or were they condemned simply for their nationality and connections to violent revolutionary groups? Prominent figures such as future Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini called publicly for action in this political powder keg of a case. Learn firsthand about a case that remains unclear to historians today with our digital collection, Commonwealth v. Sacco and Vanzetti, featuring case files and affidavits, court documents, letters, hearing transcripts, and image exhibits. Explore the rabbit hole that brought on state-wide judicial reforms, international discourse, protests, bombings, books, plays, TV shows, movies, and a century of investigation. Text by John Eckert, Digital Intern
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Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Commonwealth v. Sacco and Vanzetti

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