The Civil Rights Movement in 1955 Essay

- “In an act of extraordinary bravery, Moses Wright took the stand and identified Bryant and Milam as Till's kidnappers and killers. At the time, it was almost unheard of for blacks to openly accuse whites in court, and by doing so Wright put his own life in grave danger.”

The civil rights movement was the time in America in which African Americans and other minorities fought for equal rights. During this movement, many people dedicated their lives to end segregation and discrimination in order for America to be like it is today. Through

The Civil Rights Movement symbolized the challenge and opposition to the racial injustices and segregation that had been engrained in American society for hundreds of years. Events that took place in the 1950s and 1960s, such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, sit-ins, speeches and numerous protests define this momentous time in United States history. Speeches during this period served as a means to inspire and assemble a specific group of people, for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X it was the black community that needed to rise up in hopes of achieving equal rights and voting rights for the blacks.

Roy Bryant and John Milam kidnapped and murdered Emmett Till in cold blood because he flirted with Bryant’s spouse 4 days earlier. The case being that Emmett Till was “brutally murdered for flirting with a white woman four days earlier” (“Aug 28, 1955: The Death of Emmett Till”) isn’t something you would hear much nowadays, but in 1955, it was unfortunately common. Curtis Jones watched Till flirt with Carolyn Bryant, the spouse of Rob Bryant. What started as a prank went terribly wrong. Not to mention that racism went into play, as Till, being a black kid trying to flirt with a white woman in the South, would never go freely.

The Civil Rights Movement of the United States in the 1950’s and 1960’s, was to end discrimination and racial segregation against African Americans. The African Americans wanted protection of their citizenships by the federal government. Evidence illustrates to us through source 1 of male and female ‘niggas’ holding signs stating “WE DEMAND EQUAL RIGHTS NOW!”.

On September 19, 1955 Emmett’s murder had became an outrage. Because blacks and women were not allowed to serve jury duty, Bryant and Milam were judged in front of an all white male jury. At the end of the case the two white men were found innocent. This really made a lot of chaos. To add to the madness, a couple months later they admitted the crime to Look magazine for four thousand dollars.

African Americans have been struggling for equality for many decades. It only seems that during the 1960?s is when there were actual significant advances made. This was about the same time that civil rights came into the political scene. Throughout the South, Blacks were still in the majority, but had no political power what so ever. The Civil Rights Movement gave African Americans a voice and a chance to make a difference. The 1960's helped open up hope and expectations for Black Americans.

There were several trials held throughout the case of the Scottsboro Boys. Most of them were unfair and obviously conducted with the odds stacked against the boys. The testimonies given by the two girls often did not match up. Victoria Price spent the most time on the stand, and on the rare occasion that Ruby Bates testified, most of what she said was disregarded because it contradicted or changed Price’s story. It was concluded that anything Bates said was no good because she was dimwitted and could not keep her story straight.

Another spark in the case had occurred just recently in a book called, The Blood of Emmett Till by Timothy Tyson. In this book he had interview the very same woman who had started this entire case, Mrs. Bryant. When asked about her testimony, she had said, “That part’s not true,” when talking about the supposed verbal and physical advances Till made towards her. She had also stated that, “Nothing that boy did could ever justify what happened to him.” (Weller 5).

Back in Mississippi Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam were arrested for the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till. Mrs. Bradley's vow came true as every major Newspaper, Television Network, Radio Station, and Black Organization (NAACP) was present at the trial and reported the happening to all of the Nation and many European Nations as well. Right from the beginning the trial was smeared by prejudice, and propaganda. The jury consisted of all white males because they were the only people in Mississippi that were registered to vote. Jury duty and registration to vote went hand and hand. Immediately the segregation of Mississippi was brought to the eyes of the Nation, the NAACP used this as fuel to strengthen their organization and purpose through propaganda. The large media

During the early nineteen hundreds many people especially in the south were often convicted of crimes for no other reason than their skin color and contrary to many ideas about our court system, we have not always been the most honest and unbiased people. One prime example of this is the case of the Scottsboro Boys and how they were accused of rape and had to go to court numerous times, almost everytime ending in the death sentence. The evidence in the case clearly points towards the innocence of the Scottsboro boys, evidence such as unclear stories from the girls, lack of bruises and marks indicating assault as well as a previous history of prostitution from both of the girls. This evidence helps to prove that Charles Weems and the Scottsboro boys were innocent and wrongly accused and convicted.

The Greenwood Commonwealth published the article, “A Just Appraisal” (An Editorial) on September 2, 1955. Although many would not believe that South could be so blind toward the clear racism many faced, this article was real. It claimed, “This deplorable incident has made our section the target of unjustifiable criticism, thoughtless accusations, and avenging threats”. Crowe also stayed true to Uncle Mose Wright’s testimony. Certain parts of the testimony were real, including when Uncle Mose points at the men, and tells his account of what happened that night. In both the actual trial and the book trial, Mr. Chatham asks him to point out Mr. Milam. As he pointed, he said, “There he is.” Finally, in the book Sheriff Strider claims that Milam and Bryant confessed to murdering and kidnapping Emmett. Although they did not confess before the trial, they did confess after the trial. According to History.com, “On January 24, 1956, Look magazine publishes the confessions of J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant… the men detailed how they beat Till with a gun, shot him and threw his body in the Tallahatchie River with a heavy cotton-gin fan attached with barbed wire to his neck to weigh him

the prisoners were lucky enough to escape the being lynched when they were moved into Scottsboro. In this trial, nine young, black boys were charged with the rape of two white girls while on a train. This case was a major source of controversy in the 1930’s. “Despite testimony by doctors who had examined the women that no rape had occurred, the all- white jury convicted the nine, and all but the youngest, who was 12 years old were sentenced to death” (“Scottsboro”). The boys’ lawyer, Samuel Leibowitz, did not even get assigned to the case until the first day of the trial. “If he could show a jury that these nine boys were innocent, as the record indicated, the jury would surely free them. To Leibowitz, that was simple!” (Chalmers 35). However, it was not that simple. Many white citizens would not change their minds about

In 1894, the US Supreme Court gave legal consent to state laws segregating black people and white people with its decision concerning the Plessey v Ferguson case. The decision stated that black and white should be separate but equal, meaning the same standard of facilities for both. In reality it legally enforced a state of affairs that assured that blacks would never be equal, and couldn’t get equal treatment, status or opportunity in their own country. During the Second World War, the black American Gi’s realised that they were fighting for a democracy abroad, which they did not have at home.

The civil rights movement in the United States was the start of a political and social conflict for African-Americans in the United States to gain their full rights in the country, and to have the same equality as white Americans. The civil rights movement was a challenge to segregation, the laws and ordinances that separated blacks and whites. This movement had the goal to end racial segregation against the black Americans of the United States.