America's Failure of Freedom

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Recommended: The American idea of freedom

Americans and immigrants alike are given the conception that “America [is] a kind of magical environment or society that has the power to transform people’s live, for the better” (Lecture 9/9/13). Although this conception is correct in numerous cases, there is a specific case where this conception is proved otherwise. The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti broke down the ideal of “American freedom” and revealed the values that America actually had during time of the case.
America began to bequeath a negative connotation on political radicals after the assassinator of President McKinley proclaimed “I am an Anarchist” after murdering the President. As a collected result of the assassination and the Red Scare, America feared the radical beliefs and ideals of left wing advocates.
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were regular, hardworking Italian immigrants who immigrated to the United States to achieve American success and provide a better life for their families. In September of 1920, these two men were indicted with the robbery and murder that happened in Braintree, Massachusetts the previous April. The robbery involved the killing of two men and robbery of the Slater & Morrill Shoe Company (Lecture 9/16/13).
During the trial, prosecutors were constantly showcasing evidence about the political opinions of the two immigrants—including proof that the men attended weekly anarchist meetings. Sacco and Vanzetti were also questioned several times about their obligations to America; both of these allegations have nothing to do with the trial of murder and robbery. Overall, the defense had strong arguments: disproving allegations that Sacco owned the murder weapon, validating that Sacco did not own the hat found at the scene of the crim...

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...h the eyes of other citizens. America was a country run by educated, white males who were often close minded about the integration of other “types” of people in their country. Through the works and protests of many people, the controversy allowed the public to gain awareness about the undeserved execution of two, hardworking immigrants.
Sacco and Vanzetti were symbols of how the American dream was restricted to persons of a certain race, social class, and/or political beliefs. This time in America was a time of fear and paranoia of the unknown and the trial allowed America to broaden their views on immigrants. Their deaths were upsetting, but were not in vain; they proved that the United States needed to improve its tolerance of its own citizens. Their legacy lives on to this day and will continue to serve as a model of the conflicting ideals of American freedom.

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