Go to the PBS American Experience website about the Emmett Till event: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/story/01_till.html
Read the "Intro" and "Press" sections (the tabs at the bottom of the page) to get a little background on the case and read excerpts from letters to the editor about the incident.
PROMPT: You have just read about Emmett Till in the paper. What is your reaction to these photos and this crime especially given the fact that you are interested in social justice and you feel an urge to do something about this? What direction do you think this relatively small civil rights movement should take?
The two murderers should have been found guilty. I completely disagree with the "devoted reader" who wrote to the editor. Till's uncle is in no way responsible for this crime. He did not make the cruel decision to kidnap and murder an innocent boy. Emmett Till was not murdered because he was a boy who whistled at a woman, but because he was a BLACK boy who whistled at a woman. I think that because the public was able to see how Till was brutally murdered, they will start taking small strides to create equality. By revealing the violence her son faced, Till's mother has already taken a step in the right direction. When I saw the expression on the mother's face, I felt terrible for her. Her son was physically tortured, but she was emotionally tortured.
ReplyDelete-Suzanne
i agree with Suzanne. both of the murderers should have been found guilty. they killed Emmett Till and it doesn't matter if he was black or white, he still didn't deserve it. Emmett was murdered because he was black and the whistling in the supermarket was only a motive for the the two white men. though i didn't like how the funeral was an open-casket, i understand why she did it. she wanted everyone to know that her son was brutally beaten and murdered, and she wanted it to serve as a warning to the people that things need to change for the better fast. she wanted people to see that separate is not equal. she wanted to show the committee just how brutally those men were to her son, absolute and irrefutable proof of the white men hate.
ReplyDelete-Hannah
I agree with Suzanne!
ReplyDeleteThe murderers should've been found guilty but they were found innocent only because of their white skin.
Even though it was emotionally straining to Emmett Till's mother, having an open casket was probably very important to show outsiders:
(people that were simply showing respect), it sparked the start of a strong civil rights movement.
-Olivia
This movement should continue to increase in strength until ALL laws are protecting ALL people equally. Till's case is a clear example of how corrupt and unjust the system was. It showed how well people could twist and manipulate the Constitutional rights so that they applied simply to get the results they wanted. Hughes makes the best point out of all the press. The trial was not fair because the jury was all white. There was no way that the men would forget their unreasonable hate just because they are a jury. The men should have been found guilty the first time, not the second. There is plenty of motivational reason to prove the murder, if only there was an uncorrupted white man in the midst.
ReplyDeleteThe two white boys should have been found guilty because they murdered Emmett Till. I also disagree with the “devoted reader” and think that blaming Till’s uncle is completely ludicrous. He is no way, shape, or form responsible for the killing of his nephew; the only people responsible are the two white boys who killed him. Killing Till because of his race is completely wrong, if a white man had whistled this would have never happened. The only reason he was murdered was because he was black. The fact that his mom made it an open- casket funeral was for the better. This allowed everyone to see exactly what those two white men had done and just how brutally they had done it. I think that this caused many people to be outraged and rightfully so. I hope that this shows people that black people are not treated equally and that this has to stop. Hopefully this tragic event will spark a change in some how some people think and will help things slowly but surely become a little more fair and finally have blacks and whites as equals.
ReplyDelete-Francesca
I believe that the case of Emmett Till is an eye opener to all. For the civil rights movement it should initiate a sudden urge to stop such unconstitutional occuring across the South immediatly. Emmett Till was only a child. A child, black or white, should never be punished with the brutal idea of death. The white men who killed this child should forever hang there heads in shame. They killed an innocent life based on their prejudice ideals and the ignorance that segregation casts upon the blind. I mourn for his mom especially, she had to endure a life with the knowledge that her son was killed by pure hate.
ReplyDelete"The trial was not fair because the jury was all white"-Mathews
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the statement. Since the jury system/court system was corupt altogether, it made the matter worse. No matter what the circumstances were, two white men killed an innocent black 15 year old. end of story. If the jury system was not able to see this fact at first glance, all of those people sitting in the jury are just blinded or manipulated to believe false accusations. Seeing the complete brual cuts on Emmett basically proved the whole case, I guess just not to the obvious.
muhahaha good website to cyber bully my classmates from A period.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of country are we living in? The photos of this young boy has shocked and filled me with disgust because the white men brutally murdered him. These courts are supposed to provide fairness and justice to men and women are accused of a crime. The two white men who killed Emmett Till were set free. This shows that the American legal system is unjust and unfair because they are infiltrated with biased judges and juries. IF I was the prosecuting attorney I would not let these men free not matter white their skin. Their skin can be whiter than snow, but I would never let those men off the hook for the crime they committed.
ReplyDeleteThe cruel beating of Emmett Till is unnecessary. Although in the south there were Jim Crow laws, these were unstated laws and Till should not have been subject to these laws because he was from Chicago and did not know any better. Another reason why he should not have been killed was because he was 14 and did not know the brutal consequences for his actions in that supermarket. Although this was only one small civil rights action, Till’s mother was putting her foot down and was not letting this killing of her son go unnoticed. The movement should be nationally recognized and be used as a harsh reality of segregation which has no purpose except for the stubbornness of the whites in the south.
ReplyDeleteBy allowing the public, both black and white, to see what these two white men have done to her son, Tills mother opens up people’s eyes to the extreme and harsh reality of what people of color have to face during this time period. It is clear that whites are hunting down any reason to get rid of another black man. Suzanne is absolutely right, they didn’t murder him because he whistled at a white woman, they murdered him simply because of his color. By having an open-casket funeral, real evidence was presented for everyone to see to prove that separate is indeed not equal. The disappointing reality of this, however, is despite the evidence and the testimony of eyewitnesses, Mississippi still found the two accused killers not guilty at trial. This shows the obvious injustice of the government and the white’s resistance in changing their way toward people of color. It is clear who is innocent and who is guilty yet people refuse to accept the truth that people of color suffer every day simply because of the color of their skin. However, I believe that this movement will help lead people in the direction of freedom and the death of this innocent young boy will be able to bring about significant changes in society.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone here. Those two murderers should be found guilty. This is not an issue about race it is an issue about ethics. Nobody has the right to take anyone else's life. Referring to the responses by the newspapers, namely the Washington Post, it is utterly barbaric that the jury was able to declare these two people as innocent when it was obvious that they were guilty. It is no exaggeration when the Post article alludes to slavery when discussing the outcome of this case.
ReplyDeleteEmmett Till was murdered by to white men and brutally tortured. The murderers never got convicted though. The trial of these boys was the definition of an unfair trial. They were met by an all white jury who would obliviously favor the white boys. There were eyewitnesses who saw things and yet these men were still found innocent. This trial was useless because the outcome of it was decided before the trial!
ReplyDeleteI think that the two white men should have been arrested immediately because their guilt was obvious. There were witnesses to the crime and and the trial was pointless. The Letter to the Editor: No Justice for Till (for the Washington Post) is one that I agree with because justice did not prevail for Till, as these two men should have been found guilty, no questions asked.
ReplyDeleteI think the murders should have been CHARGED! They admitted to killing the boy, like come on they even gave details! He was a kid, no kid deserves to be beaten like a man not for whistling at a women. That was just the cover up they used, the reason was he was BLACK and it was against unknown “laws”. And I disagree with the devoted reader, Till’s uncle is not responsible, only a fool would believe the guys actually asked the uncle if they could take his nephew. I also disagree with the statement fight with an eye for an eye for the simple fact, which never solves anything, that just makes the problem continue. I think it is also crazy how they put two men on trial that beat an innocent boy and had eye witnesses and were found not guilty because the jury was filled with ALL WHITE southerners! I think by Till’s mother telling the world her sons story took a lot of courage but I agree with Suzanne Till’s mother did take a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteput in E period as an act of rebellion. sorry, not enough time to change that. thought I did in school.
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely outraged about what I have just read and seen. I can not believe someone can to that to another human being no matter what the color of their skin. There was absolutely not need for any of that. Those two men should have been charged with murder, there were witnesses there and everything. I can not believe people stand by and let this happen. I’m sure things would be different if it was a little white boy who had been killed. To top it all of the jury was completely filled with white people who were clearly biased.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that the two men at first were aquited of the crime. I mean, murdering a man because he wistles at a white lady is wrong. The justice department back then was just unreliable and very bias towards whites. I am thankful that society today is better then it is back then.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that the two men at first were aquited of the crime. I mean, murdering a man because he wistles at a white lady is wrong. The justice department back then was just unreliable and very bias towards whites. I am thankful that society today is better then it is back then.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bobby, its outrageous that such a violent crime was comitted over almost nothing. This black man was treated like an animal. All humans are similar and skin color shouldnt seperate how people should feel towards eachother.
ReplyDeleteI can not believe that even after the public's eyes were opened up to the reality of the crime, the cruel murderers were not punished. I totally agree with suzanne when she says that Till was not murdered because of the simple action of whisling at a white woman but rather that he was black. For anyone to kill someone because of their color skin is awful and unforgiving. I think that these two men should be locked away and punished for their crime.
ReplyDeleteThe brutality of the murder should have been enough evedence to convict the monsters of the crime. They should be locked up for life, at the least. Murder is wrong, and the way that they did it was ten times as wrong.
ReplyDeleteThis is awful that the men who killed him could even be considered for being innocent. Its terrbile that the color of a mans skin will deicde the outcome of the trial, if the victum and the 2 killers were reversed the would easily be found guilty.
ReplyDeleteThis is awful that the men who killed him could even be considered for being innocent. Its terrbile that the color of a mans skin will deicde the outcome of the trial, if the victum and the 2 killers were reversed the would easily be found guilty.
ReplyDeleteI am sodden with guilt. I wish to remain nameless but I am the woman that this young boy whistled at and I cannot believe that he was brutally murdered because of his actions towards me. Yes, what Emmett Till (it was only when I recognized his face in the papers did I find out his name) did was horrific and unjustified, however, he did not deserve to die. The boy was 14, for God’s sake. I agree with Madgielene Hughes from Washington that the trial was not performed correctly because the entire jury was white and certainly did not put their racism aside in the duration of the trail and the fact that the two guilt men were quitted appalls me. I would also like to make it extremely clear that I think Till’s behavior was animalistic and sinful. I think that Negro was out of line, but he was a child and did not know any better. The men did a heroic thing, trying to avenge me...but killing? I am ashamed to bear the same color skin as the monsters who killed that boy. It is my entire fault. If there is any justice left in our court system-I will be arrested, for someone must take the blame for what happened to Emmett Till.
ReplyDelete[Monica]
I disagree with msdiamondkrystal.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is an rational argument to say that Emmett Till's uncle was just as responsible for the murder. It is true that Preacher Moses Wright did not perform the killing act himself, but he allowed the murderers to abduct his nephew when it was clear that lethal danger was on the rise. I agree with msdiamondkrystal about Till's brave decision about having the casket be open. She is as much of a Civil Rights leader as a head of government, for she is revealing the honest hate and astonishing racism extremely prevalent in society at that time. She displayed clear evidence that shocked the world and helped "ignite the Civil Rights Movement." It is also unbelievable that the mother would put so much at risk and endure so much pain of seeing her deceased son in that condition, in an attempt to CHANGE.