Introduction to Twelve Angry Men

Agenda: Historical Context: Live Television Drama in the 1950s Author: Reginald Rose History on Twelve Angry Men How is the Law Involved? ◦ Law of Evidence Modern Example

Historical Context 1 : Live Television Drama in the 1950s The decade of the1950s is known for its live dramas that were broadcast on television; known as the “golden area of television”; During this period, television replaced radio and film as the primary entertainment for society Live drama died out in the 1960s because new technology enabled productions to be filmed 1 Pre stwick House:

Author: Reginald Rose 1 Born on December 10, 1920 in New York City During WWII he served in the US army, ending his career as a first lieutenant After the war he worked as a clerk, publically writing for Warner Brothers Pictures, writing short stories and novels He became a regular writer for CBS’s Studio One, a weekly show that produced live drama In that same year he wrote Twelve Angry Men, his most popular work to date, that was broadcasted on September 20, Pre stwick House:

History on Twelve Angry Men The play was inspired by Rose’s experience of jury service The 12 “Angry Men” are the individuals that make up a trial jury for the purposes of hearing a legal case and interpreting the facts, and finally returning with a verdict of either guilty or not guilty for the accused

Law of Evidence in the United States’ criminal justice system Burden of Proof ◦ Burden of producing evidence beyond all reasonable doubt (persuading the jury to believe) rests with the prosecution to prove guilt. Prosecution: ◦ The party instituting or conducting legal proceedings against someone in a lawsuit. Relevance ◦ Evidence is relevant when it has a tendency to prove or disprove disputed facts.  i.e. eyewitness testimony is relevant because it can prove an event happened 1http://moscow.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/twelve-angry-men.pdfhttp://moscow.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/twelve-angry-men.pdf

Law of Evidence 1 cont’d Hearsay ◦ Statements made outside of court by someone who is not present to testify under oath at trial.  One reason for excluding this evidence is because cross-examination can’t occur, which is the opportunity for one side to ask questions to that witness in hopes of refuting his/her information/credibility 1http://moscow.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/twelve-angry-men.pdfhttp://moscow.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/twelve-angry-men.pdf

Law of Evidence 1 cont’d Witnesses ◦ Nearly all persons with knowledge relevant to the case can testify. ◦ Expert witnesses can also be called on, which are experts in their field of work and can interpret findings, examine situations, forensics, etc.  i.e. psychologist, medical doctor, coroner 1http://moscow.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/twelve-angry-men.pdfhttp://moscow.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/twelve-angry-men.pdf

Vocabulary premeditated ◦ thought out or planned beforehand reasonable doubt ◦ the standard of evidence required to validate a criminal conviction unanimous ◦ (of two or more people) fully in agreement hung jury ◦ a jury that cannot agree on a verdict after extended deliberation and is unable to change its votes

Vocabulary slum ◦ a squalid and overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people defendant ◦ an individual, company, or institution sued or accused in a court of law coroner ◦ A government official who confirms and certifies the death of an individual within a jurisdiction testimony ◦ A formal written or spoken statement given in a court of law

About the Play The play deals with the sensitive issues of prejudice and racism, relying heavily on the portrayal of stereotypes You must be alerted to the fact that the views of the jurors, as improper as they are (mid 20 th Century), did influence the jury system/decisions for many years This influence comes from the use of Persuasive Elements This controversy emphasizes the play’s important theme of justice prevailing, even if one person stands up for what is right

Modern Example The casey anthony trial of /06casey.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 /06casey.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0