Did You Know?
The George Stinney case is significant because it illustrates the unethical practices that surround the death penalty and African Americans. George Stinney was convicted of murder and executed using the electric chair in 1944 at age fourteen. He was convicted of murdering two white girls, ages 7 and 11, in less than ten minutes by an all-white jury. He was the youngest person in the United States to suffer this fate. After nearly 70 years, a well-known white man exonerated George, however the damage had already been done. If there were no death penalty and people viewed African Americans equally, George Stinney may have been alive today or had a chance to live his life. George’s family was greatly affected by the state’s decision to end his life, and the fact that he was later found to be innocent, did not give them any consolation.