Emmett Till

By: Isabella Bozik, Neil Ehnger, Austin Butner

Our Research Question

How did the murder of Emmett Till impact the Civil Rights Movement?

Our research question will be answered at the end of the show………………..

As a child

• His parents were Manie and Louise Till. • After the murder of Emmett Till his mother was sent the

coffin of her dead child• She was specifically entitled not to open• She refused and opened the coffin to find the mutilated body

of her so called son.• Jet magazine took a picture so that the world could see what

they had done to her son.• The only way they could identify Emmett was the ring on his

finger in which was engraved and given to Emmett by is dad.

Emmett Till’s childhood

• His full name was Emmett Louis Till.• He was born in Argo, Illinois on July 25 1941.• As a young boy he understood the “black and

white” laws that went around the United States.

• When he was 5 he was diagnosed with polio (a speech impediment).

• As a child he loved to cook pork chops and corn for his family.

What Caused The Murder

• Emmett was visiting Money, Mississippi from Chicago when the murder occurred.

• He went to Bryants Grocery and Meat Market to go get a drink and some food.

• There he met a group of boys and friends, he bragged about how he had a white girlfriend in Chicago.

When?

• Emmett Till was 14 years old when he was dragged from his bed in his cousin’s inn.

• He was beaten with a pistol, shot in the head.• After they had beaten Emmet Till to his death,

and dumped in the Tallahatchie River.

The murderers

• Roy Bryant ( the husband of the wife who was allegedly whistled at by Emmett) and J.W. Milam kidnapped and murdered Emmett

• Although they committed a gruesome crime they did NOT go to jail for what they had done.

The Murder

• The woman told her husband and her husband wasn’t very happy about Emmett “whistling” at his wife.

• 3 days later her husband, Roy Bryant and his friend J.W. Milan tracked Emmett down and took him to the riverbank.

• They hit him across the face with a Colt 45.• They demanded him strip down naked. He did• They asked him “So are you still as good as I am Bobo”

(Emmett’s nickname) “Yes” • Then J.W. grabbed the massive Colt 45. and shot till in the

face. The Colt 45.

The Reason For The Murder

• The boys and his cousin dared him to go inside and talk to a white girl.

• He went inside and asked her for some bubble gum.• Till had Polio at the age of 5, Polio is a condition that makes

you stutter and messes up your nervous system.• Till asked her for a pack of bubble gum and because of his

polio the B came out of his mouth in a whistle.

The Cover Up

• They grabbed a cotton gin and tied him to it with barbed wire.

• Then they threw him in Talahatchie River.• After they threw him in the river they tried to

burn his cloths but his shoes wouldn’t burn.

The Discovery of Emmett Till

• 72 hours later and 8 miles downstream some boys were fishing and then they noticed feet.

• The only way that they could figure out that it as Emmett was that he had an engraved ring on his finger that his dad gave him.

How he made a difference in the Civil Rights Movement

• When he was being killed he was remembering his family.

• A quote he said with his mother on his 14th birthday, “While I'm being killed I will definitely remember my life deeds that helped this community, and my family and friends.”

• Once he was dead he showed and opened the eyes of the world how black racism can kill.

Who or what he influenced

• He influenced Rosa Parks and how she learned that the simplest things could mess up life.

• He influenced her teachings of the bus boycott.

• He technically influenced Martin Luther King JR. because he learned from Rosa Parks.

Answer

The murder of Emmett Till Shocked the nation because it was the first news headline of the Civil Rights Movement.It showed the horrors of racism. Our group thought that America was meant to be a free country and that we should all get along, no matter what color, religion, or where you are from.

Bibliography

• "Emmett Till." http://www.east-buk.k12.ia.us/00_01/bh/et/et.htm. Billy Joel, 11 Sept. 1994. Web. 1 Jan. <http://www.east-buk.k12.ia.us/00_01/bh/et/et.htm>.

• Banting, Erin M. African American History Civil Rights Movement. New York, NY: Weigl Publishers Inc, 2009. Print.

• Ushan, Michael V. Lynching and Murder of the Deep South. Detroit, MI: Gale Cengage Learning, 2007. Print.