On August 23, 1927, Nicola Sacco and Barolomeo Vanzetti were executed in one of the most controversial legal cases in American history. Two men were shot and robbed in Braintree, Massachusetts, and two poor Italian immigrants were arrested for the crime. Although neither Sacco nor Vanzetti had a criminal record, they both carried guns on their person at the time and followed a violent anarchist leader. After their arrest, the seven years of investigation into this crime would give rise to national and international demonstrations demanding their exoneration. Many elements of the trial influenced the men's guilty verdicts, including the weakness of the evidence. The Sacco Vanzetti trial shows the social injustices and prejudices in American society at the time. It is evident that even though they are innocent, the court used Sacco and Vanzetti as scapegoats in this crime because of their beliefs and background. The “Red Scare” ravaged the lives of many Americans after World War I. After the war ended, anarchist bombings took place. began, and a general fear of socialists, anarchists, communists, and immigrants swept the nation. There has always been resentment toward immigrants in America, and these attacks have only intensified those feelings. Americans feared that the Russian Revolution would come to America next. The government began sweeping up immigrants and deporting them. Many innocent people have been arrested because of their undemocratic views. Although Sacco and Vanzetti were tried for murder, their beliefs about how society should be run were the focus of the trial. Nicola Sacco and Barolmeo Vanzetti arrived in America as Italian immigrants in 1908. Sacco was seventeen years old and worked in a shoe factory... ... middle of paper ...... the second trial which included both Sacco and Vanzetti, Thayer told reporters: "Have you ever seen a case where so many leaflets and flyers were put out... saying people could "You won't get a fair trial in Massachusetts? Wait until I give my charges to the jury, I'll show them!"[122]. Even years after the case, a number of people came forward to the press. With comments made by Thayer regarding the Sacco case- Vanzetti. In 1924, Professor P. Richardson, a Massachusetts lawyer, quoted Thayer as saying: "Did you see what I did with those anarchist bastards the other day? I suppose it will keep them there for a while." ... Let them go to the Supreme Court now and see what they can get out of it (Watson 252).” Sacco and Vanzetti had become an example of what Thayer could do to immigrants who stood up for what they believed in..