Emmett Till Research Paper

The Death of Emmett Till Beginning in the 1950’s African Americans began to form civil rights groups in order to end segregation and fight for equality. Many things contributed to this, but the death of Emmett Till is what many would consider the spark that ignited the flame for the Civil Rights Movement. The brutality of his murder changed the way that racism was viewed throughout the nation.
Emmett was born July 25th, 1941 in Chicago, Illinois to mother Mamie Carthan and father Louis Till. At the age of six Emmett was stricken with polio, despite a full recovery; he was left with a stutter that would follow him throughout the rest of his life. In spite of his stutter, Emmett was known for being a prankster and the center of attention
(Whitfield 53) After hearing this how could anyone believe that the court system had actually done its job? This incident led many civil rights groups to come together and work towards an end to the Jim Crow society. Less than 4 months after Emmett’s death, Rosa Parks put her foot down and refused to give up her seat to a white bus rider, sparking the boycott of the public bus system. Parks later said when she did not get up and move to the rear of the bus, "I thought of Emmett Till and I just couldn 't go back." (Houck and Grindy x)
The lynching of Till was an eye opener for the nation which brought to light the brutality of racism. Although many were opposed to change, the national publicity of Emmett Till’s death sparked the motivation of the civil rights movement. Years after the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which led to the integration of public schools, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington, calling for an end to racism in the United States. These events eventually led to President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ending segregation and