SCOTTSBORO

city, seat of Jackson County, northeastern Alabama, U.S., near the Tennessee River at the edge of the Cumberland Plateau. Named for Robert T. Scott, an early settler, it is basically a farming centre and also deals in cotton and clothing products and lumber. The community gained international attention in 1931 as the scene of the famous Scottsboro Case, a trial at which nine black youths were convicted of raping two white women on a train. U.S. Supreme Court reversals of the convictions became landmarks in constitutional law and civil rights and had a great effect on improving the standard of racial justice throughout the United States. The city is the site of two nuclear power plants and is an important part of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Russell Cave National Monument (25 mi northeast) preserves a site populated by Stone Age people for more than 8,000 years. Pop. (1990) 13,786.