The Pivot Moment: Emmett Till´s Murder

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A pivotal moment is a turning point on which things, especially events, change, taking a new direction. It can happen every day at any time. These moments can either be positive or negative, good or bad, depending on the impact. Emmett Till's murder exemplifies a pivotal event. One day in Mississippi, he flirted with a married white woman by whistling at her. After the woman's husband, Roy Bryant, found out about it, he brutally murdered Emmett by beating, shooting, and doing barbarous things to him, which completely disfigured his face. When Emmett's great-uncle, Mose Wright, saw his mutilated body, he did not recognize him by his face. "When people saw what had happen to my son, men stood up who had never stood up before," was what Emmett's mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, once said. Such a pivotal event had a lasting impact on many Americans from Emmett Till's murder, because of significant decisions that people made, the history of lynching, and historical context.
First of all, the decisions made by particular individuals, who were involved in Emmett Till's murder, contributed to the impact of this pivotal event, because the risky decisions made people aware of what they were capable of, especially for African Americans. Emmett's great-uncle, Mose Wright, was one of those who made an important decision. When the trial was held for Emmett's case, he decided to testify against the perpetrators, who killed Emmett. This contributed to the impact of Emmett's murder, because Wright was the first to courageously testify against whites in a court. In fact, this was a major thing, because at that time, blacks were afraid to testify. The reason was because they were afraid of being attacked by whites. They knew that if they testified a w...

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...he precedents that supported integration. The reason is because these influenced Americans' actions and perspectives to open their eyes and see the reality of lynching and discrimination. Some Americans thought that lynching was okay that Emmett's murder was what he deserved, because he was black. Other Americans thought, or started to believe, that lynching was cruel and immoral that made Emmett's murder a big deal to where it should not have happened. But people saw this as an opportunity to be upstanders to protect their civil rights, especially for African Americans. Thus, Emmett’s murder inspired Americans to join in the Civil Rights Movement by speaking up for the society realizing how uncivilized it was. Because of inspiration and bravery that bloomed out of his murder, people today are using their voices whenever there are injustice or inequality in society.

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