The Death of Emmett Till

- “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.”

Although many believe that racism and segregation have declined over the years, The Washington Post notes, in a 2016 analysis, that black Americans are 2.5 times as likely as white Americans to be shot and killed by police officers (Lowery). In the 1930s and 1950s, Tom Robinson, Emmett Till, and the nine Scottsboro boys were sentenced to death after facing an all-white jury for a crime they did not commit. In 1931, nine, young, unemployed, black men were falsely accused of raping two white women, Ruby Bates and Victoria Price. Their sentence to death after facing an all-white jury sparked rallies and parades, which successfully changed the unfair verdict of their trial. Similarly, a fourteen-year-old boy named Emmett Till was unjustly murdered after allegedly whistling at a white store owner, Carolyn Bryant. A few days later, he was found in a nearby river, and his mother arranged for a public funeral to expose the racial prejudice her son faced in Mississippi. The perpetrators were acquitted of all charges when tried in front of an all white jury. In the Scottsboro incident, the Murder of Emmett Till, and To Kill a Mockingbird, innocent men were victims of the society’s racial prejudice and convicted of crimes they did not commit.

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.

Emmett Till was a fourteen year old African American boy who was brutally beaten and murdered for allegedly whistling at a white woman. Emmett Till was from Chicago, Illinois and went to visit his uncle and cousin in Money, Mississippi(all). He had polio as a child which caused him to have a stutter. He lived in a working class neighborhood. Chicago was not so segregated. Money, Mississippi, however, was very segregated. He was killed by the woman;s husband and brother in-law. His friends dared him to ask the white woman out. She alleged that he made lewd advances and that he sauntered out of the store. Her husband and brother in-law gouged out his eye, shot him in the head, and tied him to a cotton gin fan. Emmett Till was a young teenager

By the time the trial commenced, on September 19, 1955, Emmett Till's murder had become a source of outrage and indignation throughout the country. Because blacks and women were barred from serving jury duty. Bryant and Milam were tried before and all white, all male jury. 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 white men and women in court, and by doing so, Wright put his own life in grave danger. Despite the overwhelming evidence of the defendant's’ guilt and widespread pleas for justice from outside Mississippi, on September 23, the panel of white male jurors acquitted Bryant and Milam of all charges. Their deliberations lasted a mere 67 minutes. Only a few months later, in January 1956, Bryant and Milam admitted to kidnapping and murdering Emmett Till. Protected by double jeopardy laws, they told the whole story about what happened and what they did to Emmett Louis Till. For admitting and telling the whole story for the magazine they both got paid 4,000

The effect of Emmett's death on people was made personal for coloured people all over America. Tens of thousands of people showed up to view his body and many more to his funeral. After an African-American magazine released a photo of Emmett’s corpse, the mainstream media picked up on his story. It brought attention to the rights of the blacks in the Southern parts of the U.S. Less than two weeks after Emmett was laid to rest, Milam and Bryant went on trial in Sumner, Mississippi for his murder. There were many witnesses who positively identified the defendants as Emmett’s killers. On September 23, the jury of all white deliberated for less than an hour before giving a verdict of “not guilty,” saying that they believed the state had failed

Till arrived in Mississippi on August 20 and was taken to his great uncle’s house by one of his cousins.” A few days after arriving in Mississippi, Emmett and his cousins drove into town to Bryant’s Store to get a snack.When they exited the store Till whistled at the young woman that worked behind the counter. They fled in fear knowing he violated a unspoken rule.”(Wright, 51 and “Emmett Till”,2) A few days later they went into Greenwood forgetting about the incident and arrived home after midnight.( Wright,57) Later that night Roy Bryant and his half brother J.W. Milam took Emmett from his uncle’s home at

These trials make me upset, but at the same time they make me angry. Emmett Till was only fourteen years old, and I can’t believe that Milam and Bryant tortured a child. The thing that makes me more upset that Bryant didn’t even ask his wife if she had any evidence, that proved Emmett Till flirted with her. He could’ve asked her, but I guess he knew he wasn’t going to get punished. Since Bryant and Milam were white, they couldn’t go to the jail because they were accused by blacks. People used technology to make memes comparing Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown to Emmett Till because they were going against the whites. These three were African Americans and their murderers not found guilty. After these types of incidents, it clearly explains

Emmett Till was a 14 year old African American boy who was brutally beaten and murdered for allegedly whistling at a white woman. Emmett Till lived in Chicago,but was visiting family in Money, Mississippi(source 2). Carolyn Bryant, the “victim”, might have thought he had whistled at her. Emmett had a small speech impediment because he had polio when he was young, and he sometimes whistled to help him. The only witness to this act was Carolyn Bryant. Emmett was beaten and murdered for whistling in a white woman’s presence in a small grocery store(source 1). Roy Bryant(Carolyn’s husband) was outraged and took J.W. Milam to kill Emmett. They shot him in the head and beat him up. Then they tied a heavy fan around Emmett’s neck

The murder of a 14-year old young African American boy named Emmett Till in 1955 resulted in widespread attention to the injustice and violence prevalent in Mississippi. The murder of Emmett Till would resonate for many black Americans, primarily those in the South, who saw no end to white violence. For many, the image of a young boy’s crushed skull demonstrated the reality of the crisis in the South and the mistreatment of blacks, and inspired a new, steadfast fighting spirit. Emmett Till’s murder, which galvanized the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement, struck fear among white individuals as the systems in place began to take a turn. White supremacy was built into the foundation of the United States and as blacks strived to integrate, white Mississippians in turn feared the idea of a black planet and what would ultimately result if the formerly enslaved individuals would gain equal opportunities such as school integration, voting rights, and equal working conditions and how it would disrupt the social dynamic that kept white individuals on top. In addition, fear of sexual relations between races was widespread as white people, primarily white men, felt a sense of responsibility to keep their women pure, just as Bryant did, and feared that black individuals eagerness to integrate was done so in order to further sexual relations with white women, which was both subjugating and violating to white men and women alike.

Emmett’s mother was also called to the witness stand. She was asked if the photo of the brutally beaten and tortured boy that was pulled out of the river was her son, and she confirms with, “ A mother knows her child, has known him since he was born. I looked at the face very carefully...I just looked at it very carefully, and I was able to find out that it was my son, Emmett Louis Till.” Even with all the evidence that Bryant and Milam had done this awful murder of this young boy, at the end of the trial the jury and judge had acquitted both men. These two men had committed such a sick and disturbing crime, feel no remorse, and get away with it. This also shows racism, and the effects it had, If the trial had not took place in the south, with

In the documentary of The Murder of Emmett Till, a chain of events from August 24, 1955 to August 28, 1955 led to a young boy from the outskirts of Chicago being murdered in a little town called Money, Mississippi. The young boy’s two murders were acquitted of the crime and never faced any charges. Just after his 14th birthday, Emmett went down to Mississippi to visit with family members. Since he was raised in a place where African Americans can hold their head high and not have to cower from white Americans, Emmett Till did not know the extent of the strict segregation laws of the south. With little known knowledge of that he ran right into his death. In summary of the video, Emmett was beaten and murdered because

Even though the jurors of the Emmett Till trial were confident that the two men (Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam) killed Emmett Till, they acquitted them because they felt that Till deserved to be brutally murdered because he crossed a line by thinking he could talk to a white woman in any way he wanted

This trial was composed of all white southerners who defended the brothers’ actions. Colored Citizens at the time were not registered to vote and thus were not allowed to be on jury (“Emmett Till”). The jury was made up of all white southerners. Carolyn admitted in 2010, that the Bryant family forced her to tell a made-up story making Till seem more dangerous (Anderson 31). Then in 1995 the two males openly admitted to the murder of Till in an interview (Spencer). Thi8s unjust trial led to obvious outrage in the civil rights community.

Simpson was said to be innocent, because of the jurry’s decision. But the jurry’s decion was weighted to a certain side, because of the race problem at the time. There were twelve people in the jury, and most of them were minorities. Acconding to Famous Trials, The jury constisted of nine blacks, one hispanic, and two whites. As well as, ten of the people being women, and two being men. These different statistics had many different effects toward the verdict that O.J. Simpson recieved.With the time period, and the race issues at the time, there were different reactions with different race groups. In 1995, the undefeated said, ”When the verdict came, the room instantly divided just like the rest of the nation, with black students cheering and white students subdued in their disappointment. Both Loury and I had restrained “adult” reactions befitting two professional black men in a crowd of young people.” When O.J. Simpson was announced innocent, there were two basic responces from two main races in The United States. White people were confused and upset, and black people were very happy and celebrating. By the two main reactions falling into place with the two main races. Showing clearly, why the verdict for O.J. Simpon was