Postmortem

Over six decades after the polemical Sacco and Vanzetti case, in which the two anarchist Italian immigrants were convicted of first-degree murder and executed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Young and Kaiser revisit the case's evidence as well as the key actors who determined its outcome. The authors situate their meticulous reexamination of the court evidence and prosecuting and defense arguments within the long-standing dispute between political leftists and conservatives regarding the integrity of the conviction, edifying the left's accusations of anti-Italianism and anti-anarchism. Their analysis magnifies both the likelihood of contrived evidence and the fallibility of our criminal justice system's impartiality, pointing to important questions concerning the nature of a fair trial and the influence of prejudice and politics in juridical processes. As such, Postmortem functions as a detailed introduction to the infamous 1921 Sacco and Vanzetti trial as well as a meditation on enduring dilemmas of the American judicial branch.

WILLIAM YOUNG was an American researcher and author who dedicated much of his professional career to investigating historical cases, particularly the controversial Sacco-Vanzetti trial of the 1920s. Young spent decades researching archival materials and gathering evidence related to the case, becoming one of the foremost authorities on this seminal American legal controversy. Shortly before his death in 1980, Young entrusted his accumulated materials and investigative findings to David E. Kaiser.

DAVID E. KAISER is an American historian and author whose scholarly work has encompassed a broad range of historical topics, from European military history and warfare to American legal history and culture. He has held academic positions including roles at the Naval War College, where he served as a faculty member in the Department of Strategy and Policy. Kaiser's work demonstrates his commitment to rigorous historical analysis and engagement with contested historical narratives. He maintains an active blog, "History Unfolding," through which he continues to comment on historical and contemporary issues.