Lizzie Borden, New Bedford, Massachusetts (1893) – Borden went on trial for the axe murders of her father and stepmother before a jury of 12 men. In one of many shocking moments, Lizzie fainted after one of her lawyers revealed the skulls of her deceased parents in the courtroom.

John Brown, Charles Town, West Virginia (1859) – The abolitionist was tried for treason against the state of Virginia, inciting slaves to rebellion and murder after leading a failed attempt to initiate a slave insurrection in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. Essayist Henry David Thoreau delivered a memorable courtroom speech praising Brown as “a man of ideas and principles.” Brown was found guilty of all charges, sentenced to death, and was executed by hanging on December 2, 1859. He was the first person executed for treason in the United States.

Boston Massacre, Boston, Massachusetts (1770) –  On March 5, 1770, nine British soldiers shot several people in a crowd of 300 to 400 people who were harassing them verbally and throwing various objects. It was heavily publicized as “a massacre” by leading Patriots such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams. The British troops had been stationed there since 1768 to enforce unpopular Parliamentary legislation. At trial, two of the soldiers were found guilty of manslaughter, but the others were acquitted.

The Conspiracy of 1741, New York City, New York – Also known as the Slave Insurrection of 1741, this plot by slaves and poor whites to revolt and level New York City with a series of fires. During the court cases, the prosecution kept changing the grounds of the accusation, ending with linking the insurrection by Spaniards and other Catholics. In the end, 34 people were hanged, 30 of whom were black men and two white women, and 13 black men were burnt at the stake. The bodies of two supposed ringleaders, Caesar, a slave, and John Hughson, a white cobbler and tavern keeper, were displayed and left to rot in public. Another 84 men and women faced transportation to the brutal conditions of Caribbean slavery, while seven white men were pardoned on condition of entering permanent exile from New York.

Charles Guiteau, Washington, D.C. (1881) – President James Garfield’s assassin went on trial for his murder and was one of the first high-profile insanity cases in the United States. Guiteau acted bizarrely throughout the trial, cursing and insulting the judge, giving his testimony in epic poems, and soliciting legal advice from spectators in the courtroom.

Haymarket Riot and Trial, Chicago, Illinois (1886) – Headlines in Chicago newspapers cry out for vengeance against mostly immigrant workers believed to have inspired the riot that followed a bombing during a labor demonstration. In response, police, without a warrant, round up and arrest known socialists and anarchists. A Chicago grand jury indicts twelve people in connection with the riot, while the actual bomber remains a mystery.

“Big Bill” Haywood, Boise, Idaho (1907) – The war between the Western Federation of Miners and the Western Mine Owners’ Association in Idaho came to a climax when radical labor leader “Big Bill” Haywood was prosecuted for ordering the assassination of governor Frank Steunenberg. The trial exposed years of union violence and mine owners’ intimidation and corruption. Famed defense attorney Clarence Darrow argued on Haywood’s behalf.

Anne Hutchinson, Boston, Massachusetts (1637) – Anne Marbury Hutchinson was a Puritan spiritual advisor, religious reformer, and important participant in the Antinomian Controversy, which shook the infant Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1636 to 1638. Her strong religious convictions were at odds with the established Puritan clergy in Boston. Her popularity and charisma helped create a theological division that threatened the Puritan religious community in New England. She was eventually tried, convicted, and then banished from the colony with many of her supporters.

Leopold & Loeb Trial, Chicago, Illinois (1924) – The murder trial of two elitist college students who decided to commit the “perfect crime” shocks the nation as details emerge about how they kidnapped and murdered Bobby Franks, a 14-year-old boy. Defense attorney Clarence Darrow delivers a 12-hour-long plea to save his clients from the gallows.

Lincoln Assassination Conspirators, Washington, D.C. (1865) – President Andrew Johnson insisted on trying the eight conspirators before a nine-member military tribunal. The defendants were allowed to have lawyers and witnesses but were not allowed to testify themselves.

Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping Trial, Flemington, New Jersey (1935) – After a two-year investigation, German immigrant Bruno Hauptmann is arrested for the kidnapping and murder of the 20-month-old son of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh. The circumstantial case against Hauptmann lasted five weeks, and a parade of witnesses testified at the trial, including dramatic testimony from Lindbergh.

Mountain Meadows Massacre, Utah Territory (1875-1876) – In 1857, a Mormon militia murdered 120 Arkansas emigrants passing through Utah on their way to California. Eighteen years later, a series of published stories challenging Brigham Young’s response to the massacre led to renewed public interest. Still, only one man, John D. Lee, was prosecuted for the mass killings.

Scopes “Monkey Trial,” Dayton, Tennessee (1925) – Clarence Darrow took center stage while defending John Scopes, a Tennessee high school teacher who was arrested for teaching the theory of evolution in violation of the state’s recently passed Butler Act, which forbade teaching evolution at any state-funded school. A carnival atmosphere pervaded as the trial opened, with hundreds of people jammed in the courthouse, banners, refreshment stands, and performing sideshows lined the surrounding streets for the crowds.

Scottsboro Boys, Scottsboro, Alabama (1931-1937) – Nine young black men and boys, ages 12 to 19, stand accused of raping two young white women, 21-year-old Victoria Price and 17-year-old Ruby Bates, while traveling on a train through rural Alabama. Over a decade, the case led to many trials, convictions, reversals, and retrials.

Harry Kendell Thaw, New York (1906) – The wealthy railroad heir with a history of mental illness shot and killed famed architect Stanford White on the rooftop of Madison Square Garden in a jealous rage over Thaw’s wife, Evelyn Nesbit. The high society crime and ensuing trials created a media frenzy.

Nat Turner’s Slave Rebellion, Southampton County, Virginia (1831) – Historically known as the Southampton Insurrection, this rebellion of enslaved Virginians occurred in Southampton County, Virginia, in August 1831. Led by Nat Turner, the rebels killed between 55 and 65 white people, making it the deadliest slave revolt for white people in U.S. history. The rebellion was suppressed within a few days at Belmont Plantation, but Turner survived in hiding for about six weeks afterward. Dozens of suspected rebels were tried in courts. Turner was tried on November 5, 1831, convicted, and sentenced to death. He was hanged on November 11, 1831. During the trial of others, 30 were convicted, 18 of which were hanged, while 12 were sold out of state. Only 15 were were acquitted. Of the five free Blacks tried for participation in the insurrection, one was hanged, while the others were acquitted.

United States v. The Amistad, Washington, D.C. (1841): Former President John Quincy Adams argued before the Supreme Court to secure the freedom of the African captives who rebelled against Spanish slave traders aboard the ship Amistad.