In 1958, the United States witnessed what is widely regarded as the most absurd “rape case” in its legal history. Known as the Kissing Case, the incident involved two African American children, nine-year-old James Hanover Thompson and seven-year-old David Simpson, who were arrested, detained, and convicted after a white girl kissed them on the cheek during a children’s game in Monroe, North Carolina.
On October 28, 1958, in Monroe, North Carolina, 9-year-old James Hanover Thompson and his 8-year-old friend David “Fuzzy” Simpson were playing with a mixed group of children near a white friend’s home. During the game, seven-year-old Sissy Sutton, a white girl, kissed each boy on the cheek, a gesture the children understood as innocent and playful. The boys continued on their way without any idea that their lives were about to be shattered.
When Sissy mentioned the kiss to her parents, her mother reacted with rage. According to historical accounts, she even washed her daughter’s mouth with lye and called the police to accuse the boys of rape. A white mob quickly formed, with Sissy’s father arming himself and threatening violence against the boys’ and their families.
Police found the boys before the mob and arrested them. For several days, they were kept apart from their parents, denied any legal representation, and subjected to physical beatings by police, who tried to coerce confessions that they had molested sissy.
When the case finally reached juvenile court, Judge Hampton Price conducted a hearing that provided none of the protections the children were entitled to: no lawyer, no ability to confront witnesses, and no consideration of their ages. Despite the lack of evidence beyond the kiss, the judge convicted them of sexual assault and molestation, sentencing both to indefinite terms at Morrison Training School, a reform school, potentially keeping them incarcerated until they reached twenty-one.
Outside the courtroom, intimidation escalated. Members of the Ku Klux Klan burned crosses on the families’ lawns, and there were reports of gunfire aimed at their homes. Threats of lynching and violence against the boys’ mothers were widespread, forcing both families to flee after the arrests.
In Monroe, the case quickly caught the attention of Robert F. Williams, president of the local NAACP chapter. He was already known in the community for challenging segregation and standing up to racial intimidation. Shocked that two small children were being treated as dangerous criminals, Williams helped the North Carolina NAACP raise funds to hire an experienced lawyer to appeal their convictions, bringing legal scrutiny to the boys’ case beyond the local court.
The NAACP also organized protests, communicated with activists and journalists beyond North Carolina, and helped form committees, such as the Committee to Combat Racial Injustice, to secure funds, and moral support for the boys’ defense. He invited reporters, including from European press outlets, which amplified the case globally and put enormous diplomatic pressure on U.S. and state officials.
The campaign led by the NAACP turned the Kissing Case into a national embarrassment. Protests spread across U.S. cities, and demonstrations in Paris, Rome, Vienna, and Rotterdam drew the world’s attention to how Black Americans were treated. During the Cold War, the case became an even bigger embarrassment, as other countries used it to criticize the United States.
As the international spotlight intensified, political pressure mounted. Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt publicly condemned the case and urged President Dwight D. Eisenhower to intervene.
Under this pressure, North Carolina Governor Luther H. Hodges pardoned the boys in early 1959 after they had spent more than three months in detention. Neither state nor local officials ever apologized to the boys or their families for the violation of their rights.
Despite their freedom, the trauma endured by James and David continued to affect their lives. Interviews conducted decades later revealed that the experience left long-lasting emotional scars, and that both men struggled with the stigma and fear instilled during their prosecution.
The case had a significant place in civil rights history. Though largely forgotten in mainstream memory, it has been documented in interviews, documentaries, and educational curricula as a warning about the dangers of unchecked racial bias in law enforcement and the courts.
Sources:
https://eji.org/news/the-kiss/
