Emmett Till Case

The case of Emmett Till sent tremors through the nation that sparked the conflict between the ideals of the north and the south. It exposed the gross negligence of the justice system of Mississippi toward its African American citizens, and when the nation learned of this tragedy it realized that change was necessary. This change would of course not come easily, dedication, sacrifice, and bravery were all required. The senseless murder of Emmett Till served as motivation for thousands across the nation to demand a change in the nation, Jim Crow laws had to go. The murder of Emmett Till served as a catalyst for the civil rights movement and inspired people like Rosa Parks to stand up for themselves, because of the nature of the murder, the
Before Emmett Till left she made sure that he gave her a hug before he left because she was afraid she might never see him again. Tragically she had to face every mother’s worst fear when she heard Emmett had gone missing only eight days later. It all began when Emmett joined a group of young black kids around his age and bragged that his girlfriend back in Chicago was white ("The Death of Emmett Till."). After hearing this some of the boys from the group dared Till to ask the white cashier out on a date ("The . . . Till."). Since Till was young and had not experienced Southern culture he did not even consider backing down from the dare. He walked right on into that store, bought two cents in bubble gum, and on the way out he was heard saying, “Bye, baby” to the woman ("The . . . Till."). What exactly was said is only known by Carolyn Bryant, the cashier, and Emmett Till. Bryant claimed that Emmett grabbed her, said perverted obscenities, and wolf-whistled at her as he strolled out of the store ("The . . . Till."). Just recently however Mrs. Bryant admitted to fabricating much of the story, the admission came 62 years too late (Pérez-Peña). Till and the group of friends immediately fled the scene after Bryant went to her car to
Something had to change. It became evident that the minorities of the United States must take it into their own hands because if they did not, no one would. Till was a large part of the turning point in America where we as a nation began to show the morality that should be expected. This turning point is also where we started fully using our democratic system in a way that represents the views of all Americans, not the privileged. Emmett Till’s death was one of great sorrow for much of America and will forever be remembered for serving as a martyr for the civil rights movement. Because of the nature of the murder, the funeral, and the controversial court case his death was not in vain, but helped spur much of America to seek justice for not only Emmett Till but all who have been put down by racism and segregation. Emmett Till’s death likely saved the lives of thousands of young black men and women, and this is why we can not forget what happened to him on that fateful night in