The Sacco-Vanzetti Affair: America on Trial

340 Pages·2009·1.394 MB·English

by  Moshik Temkin

The Sacco-Vanzetti Affair
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The Sacco-Vanzetti Affair
A M E R I C A O N T R I A L
MOSHIK TEMKIN
Yale University Press New Haven & London
Copyright ∫ ≤≠≠Ω by Moshik Temkin.
All rights reserved.
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any form
(beyond that copying permitted by Sections ∞≠π and ∞≠∫ of the U.S. Copyright Law and except
by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers.
Designed by James J. Johnson and set in Stemple Garamond type by Keystone Typesetting, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Temkin, Moshik, ∞Ωπ∞–
The Sacco-Vanzetti Affair : America on trial / Moshik Temkin.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN Ωπ∫-≠-≥≠≠-∞≤∂∫∂-≤ (alk. paper)
∞. Sacco-Vanzetti Trial, Dedham, Mass., ∞Ω≤∞.
≤. Trials (Murder)—Massachusetts—Dedham. I. Title.
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z≥Ω.∂∫-∞ΩΩ≤ (Permanence of Paper).
It contains ≥≠ percent postconsumer waste (PCW) and is certified
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∞≠ Ω ∫ π ∏ ∑ ∂ ≥ ≤ ∞
For my family
Woe betide anyone who winds his way through the labyrinth of the theory of
happiness in search of some possible advantage to be gained by releasing the criminal
from his punishment or from any part of it, or who acts in the spirit of the pharisaical
saying: ‘‘it is better that one man should die than that the whole people should go to
ruin.’’ For if justice perishes, there is no further point in men living on this earth.
—immanuel kant, The Metaphysics of Morals
He who goes voluntarily to America, cannot complain of losing what he leaves in
Europe.
—samuel johnson, Taxation No Tyranny
The trouble with the world is that there is no responsibility. In the court the DA says
that it is not his fault that we are there. He is paid to prosecute men and he can’t help
himself. The judge says he has nothing to do with the case except to charge the jury
on the law. He says the jury brings in the verdict. The jury says it looks to the judge
for guidance so they are not responsible. Then you ask the Governor and he says it is
up to the advisory committee. But the committee says it is the witnesses who make
the case. The witnesses say they couldn’t help being where they are. They didn’t ask
to be called. And then there are guards before our cells. They say they are sorry for us
but they can’t do anything about it. Then, when they come to strap us in the chair
they will say they had nothing to do with it as that is how they earn their living. Well,
I guess only Nick and I are responsible.
—bartolomeo vanzetti, ∞Ω≤π
Contents
Illustrations follow page ∞≠≠
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Sacco, Vanzetti, and the Historian ∞
CHAPTER ∞: ‘‘The Two Most Famous Prisoners in the World’’:
From Case to Affair Ω
CHAPTER ≤: Americans Divided: ‘‘Foreign Interference’’ and the
Execution of Sacco and Vanzetti ∑∫
CHAPTER ≥: ‘‘This Frightful America Whose Heart Is Made of
Stone’’: The Transatlantic Affair ∞≠∞
CHAPTER ∂: The ‘‘Mob of Broadcloth-Coated, Heavy-Jowled
Gentlemen’’: The Lowell Commission and the
Aftermath of the Affair ∞∂∞
CHAPTER ∑: ‘‘A Kind of Madness’’: The Return of
Sacco and Vanzetti ∞∫∞
Postscript: The Place of Sacco and Vanzetti ≤∞Ω
Notes ≤≤∑
Index ≥≠∑
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Acknowledgments
In the course of working on this book, I incurred many debts, most of
them of the good kind, and while I may never be able to repay them, I
will try to reciprocate somehow, starting by offering my profound
gratitude to all who share in the responsibility for this book seeing the
light of day.
Professionally, my biggest thanks go to Alan Brinkley, who as the
supervisor of the unruly dissertation upon which this book is based
and in the face of the most daunting schedule in academia, always
found the time to read my work, point me in the right direction, and
find ways to keep me afloat. Ira Katznelson helped me untangle many
analytical knots, and from the time this project was in its inception he
has been its most scrupulous critic and consistent champion. I was the
beneficiary of Victoria de Grazia’s acumen, enthusiasm, generosity,
and uncanny ability to strenuously suggest the book I hadn’t heard of
or the idea I hadn’t thought of. I was also fortunate to have in my
corner two model young historians: Sam Moyn read more drafts than
anyone should ever have to suffer through and invariably made bril-
liant, helpful comments; Bev Gage offered advice and feedback, kindly
shared her own work with me, and saved me from several infelicities.
While working on this project, I benefited from the generosity of
scholars, colleagues, and friends on both sides of the Atlantic. In this
regard, two mentors stand out: Robert O. Paxton, who inspired me by
his own exemplary work to become a professional historian in the first
place, and Tony Judt, whom I have long admired as a public intellec-
tual and historian and who provided me with opportunities both pro-
fessional and extracurricular. For their help and guidance at different
stages, I owe thanks to Volker Berghahn, Istvan Deak, Jim Loeffler,
acknowledgments
x
Michael Stanislawski, Lisa Tiersten, and Isser Woloch. I also owe deep
debts of gratitude to Rachel Cowan, for hosting me so often in her
beautiful riverside home, and to Deborah Rubin, without whose help I
could not have finished this project.
This work would not have been possible without the assistance of
diligent archivists and librarians on two continents. I am grateful to the
staffs of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department at the Boston
Public Library, the Special Collections Department at the Harvard
University Law School Library, the Houghton Library at Harvard
University, the University Archives and Special Collections Depart-
ment at the Brandeis University Library, the Département des manu-
scrits occidentaux at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Richelieu)
in Paris, the Bibliothèque de Documentation Internationale Contem-
poraine in Nanterre, the Archives d’histoire contemporaine at the
Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques in Paris, the Centre
d’Histoire du Syndicalisme in Paris, the Archives de la Préfecture de
Police in Paris, the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department at the
Columbia University Libraries, the Tamiment Library at New York
University, the International Institute of Social History in Amster-
dam, the Centre International de Recherches sur l’Anarchisme in Lau-
sanne, the Rare Book and Manuscript Department at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, the Bertrand Russell Research
Center at McMasters University Library, the Beinecke Rare Book and
Manuscript Library at Yale University, the Nation Institute in New
York, and Butler Library at Columbia University.
Much of this book was written in France, a haven of productive
writing. At Sciences Po, where I spent the ≤≠≠∂–≤≠≠∑ academic year,
Pascal Delisle and his staff at the Centre Américain created a convivial
work setting. Denis Lacorne and Daniel Sabbagh kindly invited me
to present my work at the Centre d’Etudes et Recherches Interna-
tionales. I am also indebted to Alain Corbin for his imaginative com-
ments on an early version of this project, and to Ronald Creagh for his
research advice. In ≤≠≠∏–≤≠≠π, I was the lucky guest of the Institute
for Scholars at Reid Hall, where Danielle Haase-Dubosc and her col-
leagues Naby Avcioglu and Brune Biebuyck were lavishly suppor-
tive. François Weil welcomed me to the Centre d’Etudes Nord-
Américaines at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales,
whose members also provided lively discussion and comments on a
version of what became Chapter ≤, and where I later spent the ≤≠≠π–