Alonzo Bailey

Alonzo Bailey, pictured here, was the plaintiff in the case Bailey v. Alabama. In this ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Alabama's peonage law, which allowed people to be sentenced to forced labor for failure to repay debts. When Bailey failed to repay his former employer for a $15 advance, he was sentenced to 136 days of hard labor.

Portrait of Alonzo Bailey, subject of Alabama civil rights case
Photo courtesy of Hathi Trust
Portrait of Alonzo Bailey, subject of Alabama civil rights case