Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

William Francis Galvin

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Commonwealth v. Sacco & 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. Written by John Eckert, Digital Intern
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Flyer for International Protest Meeting at Ford Hall, March 11, 1923: Back Sacco's Protest! Hear the Story of Sacco's Hunger Strike

Flyer for International Protest Meeting at Ford Hall, March 11, 1923:
Back Sacco's Protest! Hear the Story
of Sacco's Hunger Strike

Photograph of Nicola Sacco

Photograph of Nicola Sacco

L'Ideale Anarchico

L'Ideale Anarchico

Mailers from the Sacco-Vanzetti Defense Committee to Mary E. Haskell

Mailers from the Sacco-Vanzetti Defense Committee to Mary E. Haskell

Photograph of the Railroad Shanty Looking East on Pearl Street at South Braintree

Photograph of the Railroad
Shanty Looking East on Pearl Street
at South Braintree

Il Cinquantenario

Il Cinquantenario

Glass Plate Negative for Photograph of Nicola, Rose, and Dante Sacco

Glass Plate Negative for Photograph of Nicola, Rose, and Dante Sacco

Blueprint of a Primer Anvil and the End of a Shell

Blueprint of a Primer Anvil and the
End of a Shell

Indictment of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti

Indictment of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti

Advertisement for a Bayard Automatic Colt Gun

Advertisement for a
Bayard Automatic Colt Gun

Photograph of Celestino Madeiros

Photograph of Celestino Madeiros

Photograph to William P. Kelley, Assistant District Attorney (Southeastern District)

Photograph to William P. Kelley, Assistant District Attorney (Southeastern District)

Financial Report of the Sacco-Vanzetti Defense Committee, from the Date of the Organization May 5, 1920 to July 1925

Financial Report of the Sacco-Vanzetti Defense Committee, from the Date
of the Organization May 5, 1920 to
July 1925

Photograph of Buick Car - 'D'

Photograph of Buick Car - 'D'

Order of Commitment and Warrant for Commitment to Bridgewater State Hospital for Nicola Sacco

Order of Commitment and Warrant for Commitment to Bridgewater State Hospital for Nicola Sacco

Profile Photograph of a Man in a Hat

Profile Photograph of a Man in a Hat

Warrant of Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Certified Copy of Record of Conviction and Sentence of Death of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti

Warrant of Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Certified Copy of Record of Conviction and Sentence of Death of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti

Photograph of Nicola, Rose, and Dante Sacco

Photograph of Nicola, Rose, and
Dante Sacco


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William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth
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