Question

Imagine that it is the year 1882. There has been a crime committed in a small Italian village.

The local shopkeeper was brutally beaten and left for dead, while the perpetrator stole all of
the money out of his till. Inspectors call in the famous Cesare Lombroso to help them
narrow down a suspect. Which villager would Lombroso MOST likely suspect of the crime?
▸
a dark, curly-headed sailor from a ship docked in the harbor
a blonde German piano teacher at the village school
a farmer with a warm smile and long straight nose who owed the shopkeeper some
money
a young lady who sewed embroidery for the local tailor

Answer 1

Based on Cesare Lombroso's theories, he would most likely suspect the dark, curly-headed sailor due to the prejudices and associations of physical traits with criminality of the time, exemplified by the historical case of Sacco and Vanzetti.

Step-by-step explanation:

If we imagine it is the year 1882, and Cesare Lombroso is called upon to help identify a suspect in a crime, it's important to consider Lombroso's theories on criminal anthropology. Lombroso proposed that criminals were 'born criminals,' identifiable by certain atavistic physical features that he believed linked them to primitive stages of human evolution. Based on Lombroso's controversial theories, he might suspect the dark, curly-headed sailor from a ship docked in the harbor as the perpetrator, simply due to prevalent prejudices and stereotypical associations of physical characteristics with criminal behavior at that time.

The case of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti highlights how nativist and national security concerns often led to wrongful convictions of immigrants and radicals during periods of heightened prejudice. The evidence against them was flimsy and their trial was tainted by the biases of the time. This reactionary climate and the plight of Sacco and Vanzetti serve as historical context to understand the attitudes that would have influenced Lombroso's judgment.