Emmett Till Essay

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A tragic event is difficult to endure, but it can be one that helps a nation in the long run. The event can bring light to a bigger issue, or it can be the final straw before conflict arises. Emmett Till was a fourteen year-old boy, black boy that was brutally murdered by two white men in Mississippi in 1955. The murder of Emmett Till was a shocking event that made the country stronger because it brought both African-Americans and whites in the fight for equality. Emmett Till, nicknamed BoBo, was a fourteen year-old African-American boy who was murdered in Mississippi in 1955. He was brutally murdered by two caucasian men after he whistled at the wife of one of the men in a store. Even though the men were put on trial, they were not convicted. Emmett Till’s story became a famous example of racism in America. It also transpired right at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. The publicity of the murder of this young boy helped to start the crusade of the Civil Rights Movement. There was no direct long-term cause to this murder, but there was the racial prejudice towards African-American by caucasians. Even though it had been declared illegal by the 1950’s, the long duration of slavery in America still had a huge impact on the race related issues. The hatred that caucasians had toward African-Americans was so strong, in their eyes black people could not do any good. For example, the whistling by Emmett Till at Mrs. Bryant, the white lady in the store caused that whole event. It is obvious that the way Emmett Till answered to J.W. Milam was apparently disrespectful, which he thought warranted the life Emmett Till to be cut short. This marked a series of racial hatred and superiority towards African-Americans. The funeral of... ... middle of paper ... ...ion in the long run.The Civil Rights Movement was just starting to become a force in America. It is still going to take some time before it could break through all the obstacles that keep African-Americans in an oppressed state. The Emmett Till case was important simply because it shocked the nation to the point to confront the idea of unrestricted injustices in Mississippi and as well as other states. After this case, it was much harder for whites to defend this type of behavior and lack of fairness in the south. This was a focal point used by the Civil Rights Activists to insure that blacks get the same rights as whites. It is true that we still live in an unfair society, but our forefather such as Martin Luther king, James Farmer, and Roy Wilkins, just to name a few did a wonderful job to freeing not only people of colors, but seeking equal rights for all.

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