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State v Johnson
51
State v Johnson
The Conflict
January 26, 1959
A 32 year old white woman accuses Nathaniel Johnson of rape after he had had stopped her after work on January 26 at 11 pm that night. She tried getting away but he stopped her and said he would kill her if she wouldn’t get into his car. He beat her and knocked her out unconscious then went on to rap her twice after pulling out on the side of a road. Johnson was arrested, confessed and convicted
Then...
In court Nathaniel confesses to an officer that after they had argued and he had beat and raped her, she asked him for a cigar and before that when he had her in his car pulling up on the side of a street she told him they were too close to the road so he went further down. Which was when the story didn’t add up
A witness Mrs. Bailey who says Johnson three years earlier had assaulted her, choked her and ran off “mighty fast” she says after someone had seen him. Since Johnson was a army vet who was severely injured it seemed strange for him to run off that fast.
After the trial Johnson already confessed and confirmed guilty asked to make a statement. Goes on to say he was not guilty of rape but won’t give further info because he doesn’t want to make a big deal since it was a time where if colored and white came into a conflict there was no chance for him since he was black. “disturbment between colored and white” (Johnson)
His court opponent lawyer was white of course , Johnson knew he was innocent, but it wasn’t up to him. He was given the electric chair then the death sentence.
Around this time there was a similar case the difference was that the accuser was a white male, he had raped his black maid and was only given 2-5 years in prison.
The night before his execution the judge gets drunk and was later fired. Which is when new lawyers Jordan and Hollowell who were part of the civil rights movement try to get Johnson out of execution. They meet with Johnson in prison and gives them a total different story. The timing was wrong, she reported her assault early that morning but he wasn’t arrested till late that night. They knew each other they met up one night and told him she was pregnant which lead to a fight. Which is when she goes home to tell her husband she had been raped,then Johnson is arrested. That was what really happened but at the time Johnson had no say and Hollowell and Jordan were his only hope.
Hollowell and Jordan went to a federal district judge, the chief justice and to the attorney general to delay his execution but they didn’t even bother to listen because they didn’t care. “Nobody was interested in justice”
Legacy of event
The U.S will always be scarred by these events that have taken place and still are. Today people who are colored and are convicted of a crime are seen as terrorist, very dangerous but if they are white they are all of a sudden mentally unstable. Recently two African-American men were arrested for waiting in ac starbucks after someone felt indangered. They were literally just waiting their and weren't even allowed to use the bathroom, which I think is crazy.
Important ?
This event is very important because there were many similar cases around the time of the civil rights movement and was no justice. For example Emmett Till an African-American 14 year old kid who was visiting in Mississippi,accused of whistling at a white woman. He was later kidnapped, beat and killed by the ladies husband. Who were tried for murder but later released, not guilty. Turned out the lady lied.
The book To Kill a Mockingbird is very similar to Johnsons story. There was and still is so much racism in the world just for not being white
“Revisionist History Season 2 Episode 7.” Revisionist History, revisionisthistory.com/episodes/17-state-v-johnson.
Work cited
Simon, and Simon Says. “State v Johnson with Malcolm Gladwell E7/S2: Revisionist History Podcast (Transcript).” Simon Says Transcription, Simon Says Transcription, 28 July 2017, blog.simonsays.ai/state-v-johnson-with-malcolm-gladwell-e7-s2-revisionist-history-podcast-transcript-d506c5674e6a.
“Emmett Till.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 19 Jan. 2018, www.biography.com/people/emmett-till-507515.