Bartolomeo Vanzetti (center left) and Nicola Sacco (center right) standing in handcuffs, c. 1927. Encyclopedia Britannica.
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On April 15, 1920 two men were killed in a payroll robbery in Braintree Massachusetts. Two men were accused of the crime, Italian immigrants named Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. Both men were known anarchists, or people who do not believe in organized government. Many social rights groups and activists argued during their trial that they were being punished for being anarchists, and that there was not enough evidence to convict them of the robbery or murders. Despite the large protests, both men were found guilty on July 14, 1921. They appealed multiple times and attempted to change the verdict, but both men were executed by the state of Massachusetts on August 23, 1927. Their innocence or guilt, and their treatment during the trial, as well as the quality of the evidence presented, are still topics of discussion to this day
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