University Distinguished Lecture

The Splendid Dead:
An American Ordeal

Kevin G. Boyle
Humanities Distinguished Professor
Department of History
The Ohio State University

It’s been eighty years since the Commonwealth of Massachusetts executed two immigrant workingmen, Nicolo Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, for a murder they didn’t commit. Since then their story has become one of modern America’s great morality tales, a straight-forward symbol of justice warped, denied, and defiled.

This lecture will offer a different reading of the iconic case. Beginning on the day the two men died, it will move back in time to tell a story that weaves together political extremism, terrorism, and government repression, a story not of innocence but of hatred, violence and betrayal. A somber tale from — and for — an age of fear.

Lecture navigation

1. Streaming Video* (to view live)
2. Biography
3. Lecture Abstract
4. Archived Video (Windows Media Player)
5. Archived Video (Real Player)

*RealPlayer is required to view the live video of the lecture. To download RealPlayer go to the Real.com web site. Click on RealPlayer 8 Basic, and click through their 5 step installation process.