The text:

he accusation was inflammatory in the jim-crow south. news of the alleged crime spread rapidly across the county; later that same day, the jackson county sentinel condemned

the “revolting crime.” whites in scottsboro were so upset that a mob gathered outside the jail where the boys were held, and the alabama army national guard had to step in to control the crowd.

the trial was held in scottsboro just two weeks after the arrests, and an all-white jury quickly recommended the death penalty for eight of the nine boys, all except 13-year-old leroy wright. the judge scheduled the executions for mid-july, the earliest the law would allow.

news of the ruling and severe sentences travelled around the country, and after a demonstration in new york, the communist party usa decided to get involved to try to stop the executions. their legal division convinced the boys’ parents to request new trials and launched detailed investigations into the r9pe accusations. the stir was enough to delay the boys’ execution date until the case could be appealed to the alabama supreme court.

the question:

“the trial was held in scottsboro just two weeks after the arrests, and an all-white jury quickly recommended the death penalty for eight of the nine boys, all except 13-year-old leroy wright” (paragraph 5). how does the quoted sentence contribute to the development of ideas in the text?