Final answer:
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were two Italian immigrants and anarchists who were executed in 1927 after a controversial trial with little evidence linking them to the robbery and murder they were accused of. Their case became a pivotal example of the justice system's failure during the Red Scare era, reflecting the nativist and anti-immigrant sentiments of the 1920s.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Italian anarchists referred to in the question are Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. They were involved in a highly publicized series of trials, known as the Sacco-Vanzetti Trials, which took place during the 1920s. Sacco and Vanzetti were Italian immigrants and avowed anarchists, and while they were accused of robbery and murder, there was scant evidence directly linking them to the actual crime.
The context surrounding the trials was marked by fear of communism, radical ideologies, and antipathy towards immigrants, particularly during the Red Scare in America. The trial and eventual execution of Sacco and Vanzetti became a symbol of the era's nativist attitudes and the potential miscarriage of justice due to political and ethnic biases. Despite subsequent appeals that raised significant doubts about their guilt—including conflicting witness descriptions and a credible confession from another individual—their executions were carried out on August 23, 1927.
The case of Sacco and Vanzetti is often remembered as one that showcased the American justice system's flaws, especially in terms of how it dealt with immigrants and those with radical political beliefs at the time.