47
Facing History and Ourselves/Boston Public Schools Civil Rights Curriculum Collaborative
Documents for this curriculum can be found at
47
The Legacy of Lynching
lesson-at-a-glancerationale
Lessons Two and Three deepen students understanding of the murder of Emmett Till by introducing aspects of the historical context that influenced thedecisions made by individuals involved in this event. Why did Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam murder Emmett Till for whistling at a white woman in a store? Why was Mamie Till-Mobley’s decision to have an open casket able to have anational and international impact? There are many ways to answer these ques-tions, but all of these answers involve an awareness of the history that precededthe murder of Emmett Till and shaped the customs and attitudes that prevailedin Money, Mississippi, and across the country in 1955. Students’ investigationof historical context begins with the history of lynching. In this lesson, students will explore various primary documents in order to answer the question: How did the legacy of lynching influence the choices made by individuals involved inthe story of Emmett Till? To help understand the relationship between histori-cal context and individual choices, students will begin to think about how theirown historical context has shaped their beliefs and actions.
oBjectives:
This lesson will help students . . .
aw th gu Qu:
What is historical context? What is your historical context? How does
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your historical context shape your beliefs and actions? What is lynching? What was the purpose of lynching?
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How did the legacy of lynching influence how people thought and
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acted in 1955 at the time of Emmett Till’s murder?
df th Ky tm:
Historical context
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Lynching
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Ida B. Wells
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P th sk:
Applying the concept of historical context to their lives
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Interpreting primary source documents
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Explaining the relationship between historical context and individual or
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group behavior
unIt 1/lEsson 2
48
Facing History and Ourselves/Boston Public Schools Civil Rights Curriculum Collaborative
Documents for this curriculum can be found at
duration:
Approximately 60–90 minutes
materialstx (p, v, ):
“Lynch Law in Georgia” (suggested excerpt is provided in the
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Appendix at the end of this lesson)http://afroamhistory.about.com/library/blidabwells_lynchlawingeorgia1.htm“Number of White and Colored Persons Lynched in United
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“Lynch Law in Georgia” image and photo of Ida B. Wells
Handouts
F h e t ey Pp Pk:
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Step Three: How Can
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Historical ContextDeepen OurUnderstanding of Emmett Till’s Story?From the Appendix at the end of this lesson:
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Document Analysis Form
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otHer
National Archives template for document analysis found at
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BacKground
Even as the number of lynchings decreased dramatically at the turn of the cen-tury, the fear and humiliation associated with this horrific practice still perme-ated Southern towns. For example, the tradition of lynching might help explain why Milam and Bryant believed murdering Emmett Till was an appropriateresponse to his whistling at a white woman. It might also explain why they decided to kill him in such a gruesome manner. The legacy of lynching mightalso explain Mamie Till-Mobley’s decision to have an open casket and to allow the photographs of her son’s mutilated body to be published in
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magazine.She knew that she was not only acting to express her personal grief, but alsoto draw attention to an immoral practice that had plagued blacks in the Southfor decades. Civil rights activist Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth suggests that theimpact of Emmett Till’s murder is intertwined with the history of lynching. Heexplained, “And the fact that Emmett Till, a young black man, could be foundfloating down the river in Mississippi, as, indeed, many had been done overthe years, this set in concrete the determination of people to move forward.”
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Like Reverend Shuttlesworth, in this lesson students will also consider how the
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49
Facing History and Ourselves/Boston Public Schools Civil Rights Curriculum Collaborative
Documents for this curriculum can be found at
history of lynching may have influenced the murder of Emmett Till, as well asreactions to his murder.
For additional historical background on lynching:
Lynchings in America: Statistics, Information, Images www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/shipp/lynchstats.htmlThe History of Jim Crow www.jimcrowhistory.org Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America www.withoutsanctuary.org/main.htmlhttp://afroamhistory.about.com/library/blidabwells_lynchlawingeorgia1.htm
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A Pivotal Moment in the Civil Rights Movement the Murder of Emmett Till Lesson 2
Lesson two deepen students understanding of the murder of Emmett Till by introducing aspects of the historical context that influenced the decisions made by individuals involved in this event.
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