Murder In Mississippi Introduction To Sociology

Murder in Mississippi Research and Reaction

Dylan Chase Watford

April 22, 2013

SOC 2275 TEAC - Introduction to Sociology

MWF 11:00 – 11:50

Mrs. Crawley

Race can be defined as a local geographic or global human population distinguished as a more or less distinct group by genetically transmitted physical characteristics. There are many different ethnic groups that make up our global human population that are characterized by these physical characteristics. In today’s society, particularly in the United States, these distinct groups all have equal rights and have the right to live freely in our nation, but this isn’t how it has always been. In the 1960’s there was a war against race and everybody didn’t have the same rights
The movie Murder in Mississippi greatly disturbed me by having to watch how my own race treated African Americans because they were different then them. I believe that all men are created equal and have should be treated that way. Of course that’s because of the society I was brought up in. But in the past people were brought up in a society filled with hatred towards other ethnic groups and the only way most people knew how to live was to hate others who weren’t like them. The movie was honestly shell shocking because of course we know the history of the slavery and inequality but watching actual events of men dying while they were fighting for what they believed was right is horrid. Not only did my own race kill James Chaney for standing up for African Americans rights but they also bluntly murdered Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner. Those two men were white, the same color as their murderers, and they lost their lives for trying to help African Americans. These men were beaten, shot, and killed. It took 44 days after being murdered to find their bodies. After identifying the bodies the story of the murdered civil rights workers hit
However, the U.S. Justice Department charged 18 out of the 21 men accused for murdering the three civil rights workers. The men were found guilty but their sentences only ranged from 3 to 10 years in prison and seven of them didn’t serve for than six years. In today’s society the punishment for murdering somebody can range from 20 years to life depending on the circumstances but these men blatantly killed these men and didn’t even serve half that time. It amazes me how even the justice system was on the side of murderers all because it had to do with the killing of a black man and two white men helping fight for civil rights. Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner did nothing but fight for what they thought was right and they were killed out of rage and animosity towards a group different than whites. Even though the murderers didn’t get the punishment they truly deserved Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner’s death was not in vein. The story of their death and the investigation of the murders brought national outrage and contributed to the signing of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. I think these three men’s death was a horrible event in history because they were killed out of