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RaShawn Thurman ENG 1102 Mr. Borero Historical Analysis Paper Lynching at its Finest August 28, 1955 to some people is just another day in the past. This specific date might not even ring a bell to some people, but to those who are educated on that specific date know how traumatic August 28, 1955 truly was. Everyone is aware that during this time period racism played a huge part in everybodys live whether you were African-American, Caucasian or even Hispanic. Our ancestors were all racist towards each other for idiotic reasons that started unwanted problems. Several people have lost a lot due to acts of racism, including their lives. Although it more frowned upon these days, this special case of Emmet Till did not get so lucky. The Emmet Till case was the starting foundation of the civil rights movement and will always be remembered as one of the most respected hate crimes to date. Emmet Till, born July 25, 1941 was an African-America boy who was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois by Mamie Till (Whitfield 1). To Mamie, Emmet was her one and only son. On August 21, 1955, Emmett and his cousin arrived in Money, Mississippi to spend some quality time with some of Mamies extended family, specifically Emmetts Great Uncle, Moose Wright. Mamie did not think anything that something would happen to her son, Emmet, solely because he was only to be in Money, Mississippi for a short two weeks (Whitfield 1). Little did she know, sending Emmett to Mississippi would be that last time she would see her son alive. The 1950s were known to be a time when racism was at its highest point, also known as the spark

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for the civil rights movement. Although it is not okay for anyone to be murdered, Emmett Till was the victim of both racism and jealousy. Emmetts murder was something that even today is still frowned upon. Young fourteenyear old (14) Emmett entered a grocery store in Money, Mississippi, down the street from his Great Uncles house. According to The Lynching of Emmett Till, Emmett was overly confident with his relationships with his white friends back at home in Chicago, Illinois (Metress 14). His southern cousins dared Emmett to go into the Bryant Grocery Store and say something to the white woman, Carolyn Bryant, which was working the register (Metress 15). Emmett willingly accepted that challenge and moments later found himself making a purchase just to speak to the woman at the counter. Although it is uncertain about what was actually said, some would say that Emmett wolf whistled to Carolyn, but we do know that whatever was exchanged between Emmett and the cashier changed how we view the world when it comes to race (Metress 17). Although Emmett was close to the Caucasian race back in Chicago, people treat you different when you enter a different part of the world. Even in todays society, how you get treated in the northern part of the country is completely different then how people in the south will treat you. No matter your ethnicity, gender or any other stereotype, the average person will get judged. To most people, Emmetts action seemed small and even slightly charming, yet this small act is something that angered southerns so much that it cost a young man his life. Although no one is certain about what words were exchanged, it resulted in the brutal murder of Emmett Till. Several nights after Emmett spoke to the Carolyn Bryant, her husband Roy and his half-brother J. W. William arrived at Wrights residence (Emmett Tills Uncle) and abducted Emmett Till. From there, the pair of them took Emmett to a barn where the brutally murdered the young boy by beating Emmet, gouged out one of his eyes, and shot him in the head

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(Whitfield 6). If that wasnt enough torture for Emmett, Roy Bryant and his brother, they tied a seventy (70) pound weight to his neck with barbed wire and disposed of the body in the Tallahatchie River where there the body was discovered and retrieved three (3) days later as it surfaced in the river (Whitfield 8). Both Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam were immediately rearrested when the body appeared. Emmett Tills defenseless body was soon returned back to Chicago, Illinois to be re-united with his distraught mother, Mamie. Mamie insisted on having a public funeral to show the world the brutality of her sons murder and to bring justice for Emmett. According to PBS, tens of thousands of people attended Tills funeral where it was an open casket funeral (PBS par. 2) In this casket laid a disfigured, innocent, little boy who was brutality murder for no reason. This incident rose awareness all through Chicago to bring justice for Emmett and his family who had to live with the pain and suffering. Soon after the incident, Emmetts open casket pictures ended up being published in the newspaper and stirred up more controversy. Black rallies and white support groups swept the nation all for Emmett Tills justice. September 24, 1955, Emmetts case finally had the jury members to go to trial, but everyone was able to agree that it already started off as unfair trial. Tills trial consisted of all-white Mississippi jury that only last sixty-seven (67) minutes. In these sixty-seven (67) minutes of deliberation, both Rob Bryant and J. W. Milam were acquitted for the murder of Emmett Till (Metress 86). The many weeks that lead up to the trial, newspapers and all forms of media shared their voice on the case. It seemed as if everyone knew these two were guilty of murder and just knew that Emmitt would get justice, but when they were acquitted, it only made the media share their voice more. There were several unanswered questions that arose after the trail had ceased.

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For instance, what really had happened that afternoon in the Bryant grocery? Moreover, how did Milam and Bryant find out about the alleged transgression? Who else besides Milam and Bryant drove out to Mose Wrights cabin that night, and who were the other men spotted with Milam at the barn the next morning? Were there really black men in Milams pickup that evening? If so, who were they and what had happened to them? Finally, how long did Emmett Till remain alive that night, and exactly when, where, why and how did his murder take place? (Metress 90)

Reporters and even those who nothing about the legal system knew that because these specific questions hadnt been answered in full, no one knew the truth about Emmetts murder. Around this time, the Brown v. Education was in high demand in the media that had everyone feeling as though the system had made a few questionable decisions. At this time, it took a little while for people to fully cope with the idea that someone had gotten away with the murder of a young African-American boy just because insufficient evidence (Crowe 6). Little did everyone realize that this case was never going to officially close. Years even decades later, people still search to get justice for Emmitt. In 2004, the court system decided to re-open the Emmitt Till murder case. Although racism isnt as bad as it was back in the fifties, people still feel sorrow for the Till family. Emmett Tills murder served as a catalyst for a lot of the racism that took place. After the world realized that Emmet Till wasnt served justice, other influential people took a stand in the world. It is said to believe that this particular case influenced Rosa Parks to not give up her seat. There are so many unanswered questions that need to be resolved before this case can be put to rest. It isnt okay for someone to get away with murder whether they are black, white, or any other race. It is never okay to commit murder and those who do should be punished according to their crime. Emmett Till will get his justice. It may not be today or even tomorrow, but his case has impacted more lives then he will ever know. i

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Works Cited

Whitfield, Stephen J. A Death in the Delta: The Story of Emmett Till. Baltimore, Maryland: The John Hopkins University Press , 1988. Print.

Metress, Christopher . The Lynching of Emmett Till: A Documentary Narrative. The University of Virginia Press , 2002. Print.

"The Murder of Emmett Till ." American Experience: PBS. PBS, Web. 10 Feb. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/till/filmmore/index.html>.

Crowe, Chris. Getting Away with Murder . New York, NY: Dial Books, 2003. Web. 10 Feb.

Bradford, William. "Approved Killing in Missisppi ." Web. 10 Feb. <http://www.asdk12.org/staff/miller_roger/pages/US_History/Civil%20Rights/The%20Shocking%20Stor y.pdf>
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