New Sacco & Vanzetti book

international | repression / prisoners | review Wednesday May 04, 2005 08:27 by Viola Wilkins - IWW violawilkins at optusnet dot com dot au PO Box 145 Moreland 3058 Australia

Eli Bortman' effort reviewed

New 80-page book covers all aspects of Sacco and Vanzetti, and includes photos and pictures of actual evidence used at the trial.

Bortman's book revisits case of convicted anarchists

Winchester resident Eli Bortman's recently published book, "Sacco & Vanzetti," discusses how the two immigrants may have been railroaded into a path that led to execution because of their political views

Sacco and Vanzetti


While the famous 1927 Boston murder trial occurred decades ago, Bortman said it is still relevant to what is taking place in America today.

"I'm not sure how many middle-eastern people are locked-up by our government right now," he said. "Obviously, it's a different group of people and for a different reason, but the situation is the same."

In April 1920, shoe factory worker Nicola Sacco and fish-peddler Bartolomeo Vanzetti were arrested under suspicion of murdering a factory paymaster and guard in Braintree. Both Sacco and Vanzetti were Italian immigrants and anarchists, and were put to death seven years later in the electric chair for the crime. The arrest, trial, conviction and execution of the two men stirred up a huge controversy, and the struggle of the groups who supported Sacco and Vanzetti eventually led to changes in the law to prevent "miscarriages of justice."

"The significance of the trial is that the question of guilt or innocence is still not resolved for lots of people," said Bortman.

Bortman said he was asked to write "Sacco & Vanzetti" for the "New England Remembers" series, which offers concise, authoritative narratives of the most memorable events and people in the area's history. He began researching the topic at Tufts University, where he studied in the 1960s. There he came upon a three-foot high bookshelf completely devoted to the duo. Bortman said this included a complete transcript of the trial, including all of its appeals, which measured approximately six volumes in length.

"The difficulty with a topic like this is that it all happened too long ago to be able to do some original research," he said.

Currently a resident of Briarwood Lane and professor of business and constitutional law at Babson College, Bortman originally moved to Medford in the 1960s from New Jersey to study at Tufts. After taking classes at the Boston University Law School, he became a Winchester resident in 1967. He began teaching at the college level 10 years ago after a career as a specialist in tax and corporate law for John Hancock Financial ServicesWhile teaching at Suffolk University, he met a professor who was editing a history book who asked Bortman to write a few small chapters. In the past several years, Bortman said he ended up writing on different topics ranging from the Lindbergh baby to Ben Franklin.

"It covered a variety of historical things," he said.

A couple years ago, Bortman said the professor he met during those years became the editor of the "New England Remembers" series. He said the series' publisher wanted to put together a whole collection of books aimed at the tourist and gift shop trade covering memorable New England events. While others wrote about the Coconut Grove fire or the hurricane of 1938, Bortman wrote about Sacco and Vanzetti.

"It's not a text book or something you'd find in the hardcover section," he said.

The 80-page book covers all aspects of Sacco and Vanzetti, and includes photos and pictures of actual evidence used at the trial. As for his next writing assignment, Bortman said he was recently tabbed to write a few small pieces for an encyclopedia on civil liberties.

Another history on the Mafia in North America called ' Blood and Honor ' includes a confession from a New England mobster to the crime the anarchists died for.


comment
Communists and anarchists united to defend S&V
by Ned

Unlike some rightwingers who pose as anarchists, who spend all their time trying to drive a wedge been anarchist and leftist activists, the Sacco and Vanzetti campaign showed how activists from both left traditions can unite to fight for common goals. It is a lesson we should all learn.

Visit http://www.courttv.com/archive/greatesttrials/sacco.vanzetti/fight.html for details.

www.courttv.com/archive/greatesttrials/sacco.vanzetti/fight.html