What were the scottsboro boys known for? who were they? what did they do? how did they get in so much trouble?

The Scottsboro Boys were a group of nine African American teenagers (between the ages of 13 and 19) who were accused of sexually assaulting two white women in Alabama in 1931. While it is believed it is unlikely they truly did assault the women, a group of white teenage boys attempted to push one of the Scottsboro boys from the train for it was a "white man's train". After losing the fight, the white boys fleed and proceeded to tell the city's sheriff they'd been attacked. After searching the train, two white women got off the train and accused the black teenagers of sexual assault. They received poor representation, and I believe most of them were sentenced to death. The Scottsboro Boys are also known for perhaps being the inspiration of the coming of age book "To Kill A Mockingbird".