In this profound and fascinating book; the authors revisit an overlooked Supreme Court decision that changed forever how justice is carried out in the United States. In 1906; Ed Johnson was the innocent black man found guilty of the brutal rape of Nevada Taylor; a white woman; and sentenced to die in Chattanooga; Tennessee. Two black lawyers; not even part of the original defense; appealed to the Supreme Court for a stay of execution; and the stay; incredibly; was granted. Frenzied with rage at the decision; locals responded by lynching Johnson; and what ensued was a breathtaking whirlwind of groundbreaking legal action whose import; Thurgood Marshall would claim; "has never been fully explained." Provocative; thorough; and gripping; Contempt of Court is a long-overdue look at events that clearly depict the peculiar and tenuous relationship between justice and the law.
#38088 in Books Anchor 2000-01-18 2000-01-18Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.99 x .64 x 5.15l; .60 #File Name: 0385497679240 pagesGreat product!
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I read a synopsis of this book in a Time ...By Christine ShuckI read a synopsis of this book in a Time Life for Kids reader with my homeschooled daughter. It sounded so fascinating I had to buy the book. So far I am enjoying it immensely. Such rich history under our very noses!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Exciting Addition to Family HistoryBy Mary Lou Peters SchramThe discovery of the systems escaped slaves used to get North and into Canada by the secret language in quilt patterns was exciting; the more so for the fact that it has remained secret for the many years since the end of the Civil War. To someone like myself who has been a quilter and who knew already something about the terminus of the Underground Railway along the Ohio River. in Kentucky; it was even more so. I have seen the house which was known to have hidden the escapees. This location was a matter of local pride to people who grew up in that small town. I was happy to purchase the book and present it to a woman who was a child of former slaves. .0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good book for history fansBy CareBearVery good story. The first part of the book takes a long time to validate that there was a history of using quilts by the slaves. But once it got past that; there is fascinating information about the slave community and their culture and how they adapted their occupations in Africa to their new (and horrible) environment. Great story about the ingenious way they used the quilts to communicate. Good book for history fans.
