James Meredith (W.F. and M.B.)
Introduction
James Meredith was a very brave and courageous man. On July 28, 1951, he volunteered for the Air Force. He did well in the military he rose to the rank of staff sergeant. He served 1951 to 1960. He was also the first African American to enroll into the University of Mississippi. He faced many issues in his life, issues most people today can’t even imagine. He dealt with death threats, people screaming terrifying and horrible verbal slurs at him. James Meredith had to keep his composure and stay strong through the many years he was harassed.
James Meredith was a very brave and courageous man. On July 28, 1951, he volunteered for the Air Force. He did well in the military he rose to the rank of staff sergeant. He served 1951 to 1960. He was also the first African American to enroll into the University of Mississippi. He faced many issues in his life, issues most people today can’t even imagine. He dealt with death threats, people screaming terrifying and horrible verbal slurs at him. James Meredith had to keep his composure and stay strong through the many years he was harassed.
1.) Meredith’s Plan
His goal was to put pressure on the Kennedy administration to enforce civil rights for African Americans. Meredith has identified as an individual American citizen who demanded and received the constitutional rights held by any American. His first experience with racism occurred while riding a train from Chicago with his brother. When the train arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, Meredith was ordered to give up his seat and move to the crowded black section of the train, where he had to stand for the rest of his trip home. He vowed then that he would dedicate his life ensuring equal treatment for African Americans.
His goal was to put pressure on the Kennedy administration to enforce civil rights for African Americans. Meredith has identified as an individual American citizen who demanded and received the constitutional rights held by any American. His first experience with racism occurred while riding a train from Chicago with his brother. When the train arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, Meredith was ordered to give up his seat and move to the crowded black section of the train, where he had to stand for the rest of his trip home. He vowed then that he would dedicate his life ensuring equal treatment for African Americans.
2.) It wasn't easy to get in
It took him three tries to get to James visited Medgar Evers, the local field secretary of powerful civil rights group. With his application he had to find five university graduates, but he did not know any alumni. He won his case to in court to get in on June 25 1962. When he was trying to register he couldn't get to the register buildings because of mobs.
Barnett went back on his word to president Kennedy and decided against enrolling Meredith. Kennedy was furious and after furious phone calls, Barnett agreed to a plan.
Kennedy addressed the nation on television about Meredith enrolling to the University of Mississippi. He ended his address telling the students to peacefully accept James Meredith. The crowd was out of control, they threw brick, rocks, broken glass, and pieces of concrete benches at the federal marshals.
There was a huge riot at the registration desk. The riot grew so big that the marshals couldn’t hold them back and were forced to use tear gas.
As a last attempt to settle down the rioters, they sent in the Mississippi National guard. Order was restored.
It took him three tries to get to James visited Medgar Evers, the local field secretary of powerful civil rights group. With his application he had to find five university graduates, but he did not know any alumni. He won his case to in court to get in on June 25 1962. When he was trying to register he couldn't get to the register buildings because of mobs.
Barnett went back on his word to president Kennedy and decided against enrolling Meredith. Kennedy was furious and after furious phone calls, Barnett agreed to a plan.
Kennedy addressed the nation on television about Meredith enrolling to the University of Mississippi. He ended his address telling the students to peacefully accept James Meredith. The crowd was out of control, they threw brick, rocks, broken glass, and pieces of concrete benches at the federal marshals.
There was a huge riot at the registration desk. The riot grew so big that the marshals couldn’t hold them back and were forced to use tear gas.
As a last attempt to settle down the rioters, they sent in the Mississippi National guard. Order was restored.
3.) During College
Having earned college credits in the Air Force and at Jackson, Meredith only needed one year until he could graduate. He still didn't have the same college experience, he never left his room without the protection of a federal marshal. He had Federal troops protect him on campus till he graduated in 1963. The students would slam their doors while he was trying to study. He did not have many friends and got judged and segregated from everything.
Having earned college credits in the Air Force and at Jackson, Meredith only needed one year until he could graduate. He still didn't have the same college experience, he never left his room without the protection of a federal marshal. He had Federal troops protect him on campus till he graduated in 1963. The students would slam their doors while he was trying to study. He did not have many friends and got judged and segregated from everything.
4.) Meredith is Shot
During a civil rights march through the South in 1966, known as the “March Against Fear,” Meredith had been walking from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi. The march was to attempt to encourage voter registration by African Americans in the South. Meredith was shot by a sniper during the march. Meredith was wounded but survived and still lives on today.
During a civil rights march through the South in 1966, known as the “March Against Fear,” Meredith had been walking from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi. The march was to attempt to encourage voter registration by African Americans in the South. Meredith was shot by a sniper during the march. Meredith was wounded but survived and still lives on today.
5.) After College
James Meredith graduated on August 18, 1963. After Meredith graduated from the University of Mississippi he attended law school in New York City. Meredith became very successful. In 1966 he published a book about his experiences in Mississippi called Three Years in Mississippi. After writing his book he became a stockbroker. Thanks to the bravery of James Meredith in 1969 Supreme Court ordered all of Mississippi’s schools to desegregate. He raised a family with great kids, but one of his kids died at the age of 40.
James Meredith graduated on August 18, 1963. After Meredith graduated from the University of Mississippi he attended law school in New York City. Meredith became very successful. In 1966 he published a book about his experiences in Mississippi called Three Years in Mississippi. After writing his book he became a stockbroker. Thanks to the bravery of James Meredith in 1969 Supreme Court ordered all of Mississippi’s schools to desegregate. He raised a family with great kids, but one of his kids died at the age of 40.
Conclusion
James Meredith faced many struggles in his life but his bravery and dedication was so strong that everything that people did to him blew right past him and didn’t affect him. Sadly even today James Meredith is still getting hated on. On February, 18 2014 James Meredith’s statute was vandalized. The University Of Mississippi was offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest. Three 19-year-old freshman males refused to talk to the police about the crime. This leads the police to believe that they were a part of the crime.
James Meredith faced many struggles in his life but his bravery and dedication was so strong that everything that people did to him blew right past him and didn’t affect him. Sadly even today James Meredith is still getting hated on. On February, 18 2014 James Meredith’s statute was vandalized. The University Of Mississippi was offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest. Three 19-year-old freshman males refused to talk to the police about the crime. This leads the police to believe that they were a part of the crime.
James Meredith and Ole Miss (K.T. & C.H.)
James Howard Meredith is an american Civil rights movement figure, writer and political. Meredith is best known for being the first african american to attend the University of Mississippi. Motivated by President John F. Kennedy inaugural address, Meredith decided to exercise his constitutional rights and apply to the University of Mississippi His goal was to put pressure on the Kennedy Administration to enforce civil rights for African Americans.
- leader of the march against fear
On June 6, 1966, James Meredith started a march against fear. It was 220 miles from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson Mississippi. The march was to protest against slavery. Soon after he started the march, he was shot by man with a shotgun. Other civil rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr and other civil right organizations helped continue the march for march for Meredith. On the march, they were attacked by the Mississippi State Police. Many of them were wounded. Meredith was able to rejoin the march on June 25 and finish the march.
On June 6, 1966, James Meredith started a march against fear. It was 220 miles from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson Mississippi. The march was to protest against slavery. Soon after he started the march, he was shot by man with a shotgun. Other civil rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr and other civil right organizations helped continue the march for march for Meredith. On the march, they were attacked by the Mississippi State Police. Many of them were wounded. Meredith was able to rejoin the march on June 25 and finish the march.
- brother and train incident
He was raised on a farm with nine siblings, and he was insulted from racism. His first experience being insulted from racism occurred while riding a train from Chicago with his brother. When the train arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, he was forced to give up his seat and move to the back of the train, where he had to stand for the rest of his trip home. He promised that he would dedicate his life to equal rights for African Americans.
He was raised on a farm with nine siblings, and he was insulted from racism. His first experience being insulted from racism occurred while riding a train from Chicago with his brother. When the train arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, he was forced to give up his seat and move to the back of the train, where he had to stand for the rest of his trip home. He promised that he would dedicate his life to equal rights for African Americans.
-High school life
Meredith spent eight hours each day walking to and from school. Also, he was know as the smartest and strongest boy at his training school. When he was seventeen, his dad sent him to Florida to attend a better school. He got respect from his schoolmates, and even beat up two bullies. Meredith wanted to test his writing skills and entered a writing contest, and won. After high school, he served in the U.S. Air Force for nine years.
Meredith spent eight hours each day walking to and from school. Also, he was know as the smartest and strongest boy at his training school. When he was seventeen, his dad sent him to Florida to attend a better school. He got respect from his schoolmates, and even beat up two bullies. Meredith wanted to test his writing skills and entered a writing contest, and won. After high school, he served in the U.S. Air Force for nine years.
- Ole Miss riot 1962
The Ole Miss riot of 1962 was fought between Southern segregationist civilians and federal and state forces as a result of the forced enrollment of James Meredith at the University of Mississippi. Governor Ross Barnett opposed James' enrollment, which caused riots on campus. Later on, John F. Kennedy sent U.S. Army military police to protect Meredith. The riots led to a intense fight which left two people dead. One person was a French journalist named Paul Guihard, who was found behind the Lyceum building with a gunshot wound to the back of the head. The second person was a 23 year old man named Ray Gunter. His body was found with a bullet wound in his forehead. Barnett was fined $10,000 and sentenced to jail for contempt, but the charges were later dismissed by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.(Wikipedia).
The Ole Miss riot of 1962 was fought between Southern segregationist civilians and federal and state forces as a result of the forced enrollment of James Meredith at the University of Mississippi. Governor Ross Barnett opposed James' enrollment, which caused riots on campus. Later on, John F. Kennedy sent U.S. Army military police to protect Meredith. The riots led to a intense fight which left two people dead. One person was a French journalist named Paul Guihard, who was found behind the Lyceum building with a gunshot wound to the back of the head. The second person was a 23 year old man named Ray Gunter. His body was found with a bullet wound in his forehead. Barnett was fined $10,000 and sentenced to jail for contempt, but the charges were later dismissed by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.(Wikipedia).
-Trouble in Ohio
Meredith began looking for college teaching jobs after college. Meredith was offered a year-long job as a visiting professor in Afro-American Studies at the University of Cincinnati. Controversy quickly surrounded Meredith at Cincinnati, as it had everywhere else he had made his home. University and city officials were furious with claims of discrimination that were not supported. He angered the police by refusing to produce his identification at a health club, that he was a paying member, so that he could accuse both the club and the police of racism. (Encylopedia.com)
Conclusion:
In 2012, Meredith received the Harvard Graduate School of Education “Medal for Education Impact” and was the school's convocation speaker. James said that this was the first award he accepted in over fifty years. (Below is a picture of his statue at The University of Mississippi).
In 2012, Meredith received the Harvard Graduate School of Education “Medal for Education Impact” and was the school's convocation speaker. James said that this was the first award he accepted in over fifty years. (Below is a picture of his statue at The University of Mississippi).
Sources:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SN_MVqyeUGnVontr2y_Njs868DdwsWZSS2aT_10KRcA/edit?usp=sharing
Freedom Summer (R.B. & L.H.)
In the early 1960s, African Americans were treated as second class citizens. They were expected to bow their heads to whites or step off sidewalks until the white person passed. The historian Bruce Watson says that “this monstrous culture was enforced by terrorism in physical, political and economic forms.” (variety.com) For hundreds of years African Americans were treated as second class citizens. They wanted to be treated as first class citizens. The African Americans were fed up and tired of being treated this poorly. They wanted to have the same privileges as the whites did. The summer of 1964 will help all the African Americans in the south become the first class citizen.
• African-Americans were given the right to vote but were forced to pay a poll tax and pass a literacy test
In the summer of 1964, the civil rights groups including the Congress on Racial Equality and Student and Non-Violent Coordinating Committee created a voter registration drive, known as the Mississippi Summer Project or Freedom Summer. The mission was for African Americans to be given the right to vote. According to the 15th amendment, blacks were given the right to vote. To vote though, they had to pass a literacy test and they had to pay poll taxes. (History.com) Many African Americans could not pay these taxes or read.
In the summer of 1964, the civil rights groups including the Congress on Racial Equality and Student and Non-Violent Coordinating Committee created a voter registration drive, known as the Mississippi Summer Project or Freedom Summer. The mission was for African Americans to be given the right to vote. According to the 15th amendment, blacks were given the right to vote. To vote though, they had to pass a literacy test and they had to pay poll taxes. (History.com) Many African Americans could not pay these taxes or read.
• The Mississippi Freedom Party focused as their summer program grew to 80,000
African Americans were intimidated and threatened, so they didn’t go and vote. Only 6.7 percent of African Americans could vote in the state of Mississippi, the lowest percent in the nation, because of the literacy and poll tax issues. The organization of the Mississippi Freedom Party was a major focus of the summer program, which guided the black population toward increasing their education. More than 80,000 African Americans joined the party. The party leaders were Fannie Lou Hamer, Victoria Gray, Annie Divine, and Aaron Henry. (www.core-online.org) Fannie Lou Hamer worked to help the social, economic, and political rights of the African American community. (www.nwhm.org) Fannie Lou Hamer also spread the word across the nation of how blacks and civil rights workers were mistreated on national T.V.(World Book Student) Victoria Gray was an important figure in the battle by African Americans living in Mississippi to earn their political and civil rights in the 1960s. Victoria was the first woman to hold a seat in the United States Senate from her state. (www.nytimes.com) Annie Divine helped voter registration drives, she attended the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City with Victoria Gray and Fannie Lou Hamer. (www.nytimes.com) Aaron Henry worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and accepted a position on the southern Christian Leadership Conference Board. He also helped establish the Council of Federated Organizations. (COFO)
African Americans were intimidated and threatened, so they didn’t go and vote. Only 6.7 percent of African Americans could vote in the state of Mississippi, the lowest percent in the nation, because of the literacy and poll tax issues. The organization of the Mississippi Freedom Party was a major focus of the summer program, which guided the black population toward increasing their education. More than 80,000 African Americans joined the party. The party leaders were Fannie Lou Hamer, Victoria Gray, Annie Divine, and Aaron Henry. (www.core-online.org) Fannie Lou Hamer worked to help the social, economic, and political rights of the African American community. (www.nwhm.org) Fannie Lou Hamer also spread the word across the nation of how blacks and civil rights workers were mistreated on national T.V.(World Book Student) Victoria Gray was an important figure in the battle by African Americans living in Mississippi to earn their political and civil rights in the 1960s. Victoria was the first woman to hold a seat in the United States Senate from her state. (www.nytimes.com) Annie Divine helped voter registration drives, she attended the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City with Victoria Gray and Fannie Lou Hamer. (www.nytimes.com) Aaron Henry worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and accepted a position on the southern Christian Leadership Conference Board. He also helped establish the Council of Federated Organizations. (COFO)
• The “white response” was vicious and brutal
By the end of a harsh and brutal summer down in Mississippi, 37 black churches were burned to the ground, 30 homes were bombed, 80 civil rights workers beaten, and more than 1,000 arrested. The brutal “white response,” to freedom summer brought national attention to racism in Mississippi and strengthened support for legislation to provide voting rights for blacks. (Free At Last) Mississippi looked at the Freedom Summer Project as an invasion. On April 24, 1964, 64 out of the 82 counties burned crosses. The mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, Allen Thompson, increased the city’s police force from 200 hundred officers to 300 officers. The city bought 250 shotguns and a 13,000 pound carrier nicknamed “Thompson’s tank.” On June 20, 1964, 200 volunteers left from Oxford, Ohio, to Mississippi, to help the Freedom Summer project. On the next day, aided by a sheriff named Cecil Price, the Ku Klux Klan killed three civil rights workers in Philadelphia, Mississippi. These killings drew massive media attention to the plight of the Freedom Summer Project as people realized how bad the blacks were being treated. By televising these issues, the media made the north aware that the southern blacks needed help in order to be successful. (An Eyewitness History) More than 700 student volunteers from the across the U.S. helped and supported African Americans to destroy white supremacy and live the American dream. (PBS.com)
By the end of a harsh and brutal summer down in Mississippi, 37 black churches were burned to the ground, 30 homes were bombed, 80 civil rights workers beaten, and more than 1,000 arrested. The brutal “white response,” to freedom summer brought national attention to racism in Mississippi and strengthened support for legislation to provide voting rights for blacks. (Free At Last) Mississippi looked at the Freedom Summer Project as an invasion. On April 24, 1964, 64 out of the 82 counties burned crosses. The mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, Allen Thompson, increased the city’s police force from 200 hundred officers to 300 officers. The city bought 250 shotguns and a 13,000 pound carrier nicknamed “Thompson’s tank.” On June 20, 1964, 200 volunteers left from Oxford, Ohio, to Mississippi, to help the Freedom Summer project. On the next day, aided by a sheriff named Cecil Price, the Ku Klux Klan killed three civil rights workers in Philadelphia, Mississippi. These killings drew massive media attention to the plight of the Freedom Summer Project as people realized how bad the blacks were being treated. By televising these issues, the media made the north aware that the southern blacks needed help in order to be successful. (An Eyewitness History) More than 700 student volunteers from the across the U.S. helped and supported African Americans to destroy white supremacy and live the American dream. (PBS.com)
• Thousands of white students helped African Americans to register to vote
Student volunteers helped form the Mississippi Freedom Party. Its mission was to replace the state’s all white regular delegation at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City. (www.core-online.org) Hundreds of activists and thousands of mostly white students went to Mangnolia State to help African Americans to register to vote and help other social issues that prevented african american advancement. Henry Peacock, a civil rights activist from Grenada, Mississippi, noted that white citizens threatened to kill “most of the big time leaders. in a hope to “silence the whole bunch.” He added that “that’s the reason they organized us the way they did, because they knew… their (lives) were on the line every second.” (crdll.usg.edu) Freedom Summer officials created 30 “freedom schools” in towns throughout Mississippi to spread the message of racial inequalities in Mississippi’s educational system. The Freedom Schools goal was to get at least 1,000 students but instead 3,000 students attended. (www.core-online.org) Before the Freedom Summer project only 6.7% of Mississippi blacks were registered to vote. This was 16.3% below the national average at the time. The Freedom Summer project had a tremendous impact on the black vote: by 1969, 66.5% were registered to vote, 5.5% above the national average at the time. (courses.education.illinois.edu) Freedom Summer’s main mission was to get blacks their voting rights. The use of northern volunteers would focus national attention on Mississippi as a means of forcing federal intervention in the state. The National Council of Churches started two one week training sessions at Miami University. The student volunteers learned nonviolent self-defense and how to work brave in a nonviolent movement. Civil rights workers trained the student volunteers to work with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) staff to register blacks to vote and teach in “freedom schools.” (nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu) During the Freedom Summer Project violence against the organizers was relentless. Racist citizens and police officers tried to scare and expel the civil rights workers. (www.amistadresorce.org)
Student volunteers helped form the Mississippi Freedom Party. Its mission was to replace the state’s all white regular delegation at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City. (www.core-online.org) Hundreds of activists and thousands of mostly white students went to Mangnolia State to help African Americans to register to vote and help other social issues that prevented african american advancement. Henry Peacock, a civil rights activist from Grenada, Mississippi, noted that white citizens threatened to kill “most of the big time leaders. in a hope to “silence the whole bunch.” He added that “that’s the reason they organized us the way they did, because they knew… their (lives) were on the line every second.” (crdll.usg.edu) Freedom Summer officials created 30 “freedom schools” in towns throughout Mississippi to spread the message of racial inequalities in Mississippi’s educational system. The Freedom Schools goal was to get at least 1,000 students but instead 3,000 students attended. (www.core-online.org) Before the Freedom Summer project only 6.7% of Mississippi blacks were registered to vote. This was 16.3% below the national average at the time. The Freedom Summer project had a tremendous impact on the black vote: by 1969, 66.5% were registered to vote, 5.5% above the national average at the time. (courses.education.illinois.edu) Freedom Summer’s main mission was to get blacks their voting rights. The use of northern volunteers would focus national attention on Mississippi as a means of forcing federal intervention in the state. The National Council of Churches started two one week training sessions at Miami University. The student volunteers learned nonviolent self-defense and how to work brave in a nonviolent movement. Civil rights workers trained the student volunteers to work with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) staff to register blacks to vote and teach in “freedom schools.” (nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu) During the Freedom Summer Project violence against the organizers was relentless. Racist citizens and police officers tried to scare and expel the civil rights workers. (www.amistadresorce.org)
• The Hattiesburg churches helped and supported the Freedom Summer Project
When eight pastors in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, asked their churches to participate in the Freedom Summer project, they already knew they were at risk. As summer came closer, a sense of unease in the small city of Pine Belt rose with the daily temperature. In mid-june, newspaper headlines listed the number of church burnings and missing civil rights workers in Mississippi. Even though there was violence, Freedom Summer volunteers began to arrive, and the Hattiesburg’s black churches opened their doors wide. Expectations were high for the Hattiesburg site. After two years of organizing, they had a strong group of activists, black business leaders, and a few ministers. The organizers needed the churches to hold political rallies, stage plays and concerts, and most importantly, the churches provided classrooms for schools. Daisy Harris says, “A lot of the churches wouldn’t open because the members and the pastors were afraid. But the
Even though there was violence, Freedom Summer left a positive mark. To blacks living in Mississippi at that time period, it's one of the greatest things that has ever happened. The project also created 30 Freedom Schools, Freedom Houses, and community centers in small towns throughout the heart of Mississippi to help and support the local black population. These places proved to be great places for blacks to congregate and express their views and discuss topics of the day. That memorable Freedom Summer became the catalyst for a lot of progress and change in our nation. (www.miamioh.edu)
When eight pastors in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, asked their churches to participate in the Freedom Summer project, they already knew they were at risk. As summer came closer, a sense of unease in the small city of Pine Belt rose with the daily temperature. In mid-june, newspaper headlines listed the number of church burnings and missing civil rights workers in Mississippi. Even though there was violence, Freedom Summer volunteers began to arrive, and the Hattiesburg’s black churches opened their doors wide. Expectations were high for the Hattiesburg site. After two years of organizing, they had a strong group of activists, black business leaders, and a few ministers. The organizers needed the churches to hold political rallies, stage plays and concerts, and most importantly, the churches provided classrooms for schools. Daisy Harris says, “A lot of the churches wouldn’t open because the members and the pastors were afraid. But the
Even though there was violence, Freedom Summer left a positive mark. To blacks living in Mississippi at that time period, it's one of the greatest things that has ever happened. The project also created 30 Freedom Schools, Freedom Houses, and community centers in small towns throughout the heart of Mississippi to help and support the local black population. These places proved to be great places for blacks to congregate and express their views and discuss topics of the day. That memorable Freedom Summer became the catalyst for a lot of progress and change in our nation. (www.miamioh.edu)
The Mississippi Freedom Summer 50th Anniversary Conference will be held in Jackson, Mississippi, both to recognize the accomplishments of those who put in hard work for changes to the politically segregated Mississippi and to discuss how to continue the struggle toward Mississippi reaching its full potential for all of its citizens. The support will continue to make life better for those who live in Mississippi and other citizens across the country. (freedom50.org)
Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KjN-CId0IwLxodT7kffmMAubTERFlGR-ymcTdxOFGf4/edit?usp=sharing
Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KjN-CId0IwLxodT7kffmMAubTERFlGR-ymcTdxOFGf4/edit?usp=sharing
Emmett Till (I.D. and A.H.)
14 year-old Emmett Till’s story begins with his mom in Argo, Illinois. He was an only child and didn’t have his dad in his life from being killed in Italy. “A day before her son is to leave for a summer stay with family in Mississippi, Mamie Till gives Emmett the ring once owned by his father, Louis Till. It is inscribed with the initials L.T.” (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/till/timeline/timeline2.html). His mom never expected he would return home in a casket.
Emmett Till left Illinois to see his family down south in the southern state Mississippi. At the time of his death he was staying with his great-uncle, Moses Wright. August 28th, one week after Emmett arrived, was a day the Wright family would never forget. At about 2:30 a.m., two white men, Roy Bryant and his half-brother J. W. Milam, arrived at the Wright home, pounding on the door with a pistol. They declared they "were looking for the boy that did the talking."
Moses pleaded with the men to leave Emmett alone. "He's only 14, he's from up North. Why not give the boy a whipping, and leave it at that?" Elizabeth Wright offered money to the intruders, but they ordered her to go back to bed.
Moses led the men throughout his home with flashlights until they found Emmett in a bed, sleeping. They woke him up and told him to get dressed. Milam, at 6 feet two inches and 235 pounds, turned to Moses and threatened him. "How old are you, preacher?" Wright said that he was sixty-four. "If you make any trouble, you'll never live to be sixty-five."
Moses said that as they made their way to Milam's pick-up truck, he heard one of the men ask someone waiting in the vehicle whether Emmett "was the right one." When the person responded yes, they drove off. Local newspapers reported that a third person was sought in the abduction, but no one else was ever charged in the case” (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/till/peopleevents/p_wrights.html).
Moses pleaded with the men to leave Emmett alone. "He's only 14, he's from up North. Why not give the boy a whipping, and leave it at that?" Elizabeth Wright offered money to the intruders, but they ordered her to go back to bed.
Moses led the men throughout his home with flashlights until they found Emmett in a bed, sleeping. They woke him up and told him to get dressed. Milam, at 6 feet two inches and 235 pounds, turned to Moses and threatened him. "How old are you, preacher?" Wright said that he was sixty-four. "If you make any trouble, you'll never live to be sixty-five."
Moses said that as they made their way to Milam's pick-up truck, he heard one of the men ask someone waiting in the vehicle whether Emmett "was the right one." When the person responded yes, they drove off. Local newspapers reported that a third person was sought in the abduction, but no one else was ever charged in the case” (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/till/peopleevents/p_wrights.html).
On the day of August 28, 1955 Emmett Till was murdered by Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam It all started when Emmett Till was accused of repeatedly flirting with a white women in a store, who was married to the store owner, on August 24th. Bryant and Milam kidnapped Till, and drove to an abandoned barn. They hung him in the barn whipped him and shot him. Once done with the brutal beating, Roy and J.W. threw him into the trunk of their car. They were going to throw him in the Tallahatchie River, but before doing that, they stopped to steal a heavy fan. The men tied the fan around Emmett's neck with barbed wire. With that, they threw him in the river and drove off.
"After the pickup left the farm, it stopped briefly at J. W. Milam's store in Glendora. There, a witness noticed "blood running out of the bed of the truck and pooling on the ground." When the dripping blood was pointed out to Milam, when he returned to his truck, J. W. claimed that he killed a deer. When Milam was told it was not deer season, he allegedly pulled back the tarpaulin in the bed to reveal Till's body and said, "This is what happens to smart niggers." [FBI report, p. 64] Milam, Bryant, and the others (including "Too Tight" Collins and Otha Johnson) loaded themselves back into the truck and left town" (http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/till/tillaccounthtml).
"After the pickup left the farm, it stopped briefly at J. W. Milam's store in Glendora. There, a witness noticed "blood running out of the bed of the truck and pooling on the ground." When the dripping blood was pointed out to Milam, when he returned to his truck, J. W. claimed that he killed a deer. When Milam was told it was not deer season, he allegedly pulled back the tarpaulin in the bed to reveal Till's body and said, "This is what happens to smart niggers." [FBI report, p. 64] Milam, Bryant, and the others (including "Too Tight" Collins and Otha Johnson) loaded themselves back into the truck and left town" (http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/till/tillaccounthtml).
14 year-old Emmett Till’s body was found in the Tallahatchie River by a teenage boy (20th Century America Book). The teenager who spotted feet streaming down the river while fishing is Robert Hodges. “Three days later and eight miles downstream, a boy named Robert Hodges, who was fishing in the Tallahatchie, saw feet sticking out of the water. The badly beaten and bloated body was pulled from the river and loaded into a boat. Hodges and others observed a silver ring on one of the body's fingers. Called to the scene, Mose Wright looked into the boat on the riverbank and identified the body of Emmett Till” (http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/till/tillaccounthtml).. Till’s body was bloated from being in the water three days. They moved him out of the boat and put him in a casket in which they sent back up north to his mom, Mammie. Emmett’s mother said to some interviewers, "Have you ever sent a loved son on vacation," she later said to the press, "and had him returned to you in a pine box, so horribly battered and water-logged that someone needs to tell you this sickening sight is your son, lynched?" (http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/emmett_till/6.html). Mammie had asked for the casket to be open so she could see her son and when they did she fainted. The gruesome sight of his face was terrifying. The water had bloated him making him look bigger than he was and made his skin fade in spots. The fan that weighed around 80 pounds tied to his neck with barbed wire made him sink in the water so he never had air on his dead face. Even though Robert had found Emmett’s body, he got no reward for finding a missing person. Robert and everyone else who had came to the crime scene couldn’t believe what was in front of their eyes. In this link there is the conversation of Robert in the Court Room. (http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/till/Hodges.pdf).
There was no doubt that Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam abducted and murdered Emmett Till. J.W. freely admitted kidnapping, when he was testified. It only took an hour to reach their verdict."After brief testimony from five character witnesses for Milam and Bryant, closing arguments began. District Attorney Chatham, in a speech that moved many in the courtroom audience, demanded justice for the murder of Till: "They murdered that boy, and to hide that dastardly, cowardly act, they tied barbed wire to his neck and to a heavy gin fan and dumped him into the river for the turtles and the fish. The two defendants, Chatham insisted, "were dripping with the blood of Emmett Till." Defense attorneys, for their part, told jurors, "Every last Anglo-Saxon one of you has the courage to set these men free."
“In 1985, five years after Milam died of cancer, some of Bryant's recollections of the Till case were secretly recorded on audiotape. On the tapes, Bryant says of the night of the kidnapping, "Yeah, hell we were drinking." He claims that after "we done whupped the ***********," he briefly "backed out on killing the ************and decided instead to "take him to a hospital." But it soon became clear that the injuries already were too extensive for Till to survive, so they decided to "put his ass in the Tallahatchie River." Bryant did not name others involved in the crime and indicated that he never would: "I'm the only one living that knows--and that's all that will ever be known." Bryant died nine years later, also of cancer, at the age of 63” (http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/till/tillaccounthtml).
“In 1985, five years after Milam died of cancer, some of Bryant's recollections of the Till case were secretly recorded on audiotape. On the tapes, Bryant says of the night of the kidnapping, "Yeah, hell we were drinking." He claims that after "we done whupped the ***********," he briefly "backed out on killing the ************and decided instead to "take him to a hospital." But it soon became clear that the injuries already were too extensive for Till to survive, so they decided to "put his ass in the Tallahatchie River." Bryant did not name others involved in the crime and indicated that he never would: "I'm the only one living that knows--and that's all that will ever be known." Bryant died nine years later, also of cancer, at the age of 63” (http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/till/tillaccounthtml).
Mississippi responded to Emmett Till’s death poorly. They didn’t give much to show how saddened they were towards his murder. “Within four years after Till murder trial, over 21% of the black population of Tallahatchie County had left” (http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/till/Hodges.pdf). Nearly 50,000 people came to see Emmett’s open casket. “Sheriff George Smith of Leflore County said he ordered heavily armed guards to patrol the courthouse square here tonight after receiving various telephone calls threatening mob actions against the prisoners. Among the rumors was one claiming 1000 Negroes were bound for Greenwood from Chicago. However no caravan was reported.
Emmett Till’s murder case is similar to todays murder victim’s case, Raynard Johnson. Raynard Johnson was a black 17 year-old who was hung in a tree for whistling at a white woman. This is similar to Johnson’s case because they both were killed because of inequality. Another tragedy that happened in the year of 2012 was the murder of Trayvon Martin. Both Trayvon Martin and Emmett Till were both killed for the most meaningless reasons. Trayvon was 17 years-old and got shot because the neighborhood watch man thought he was “dangerous” looking.
Emmett Till’s murder case is similar to todays murder victim’s case, Raynard Johnson. Raynard Johnson was a black 17 year-old who was hung in a tree for whistling at a white woman. This is similar to Johnson’s case because they both were killed because of inequality. Another tragedy that happened in the year of 2012 was the murder of Trayvon Martin. Both Trayvon Martin and Emmett Till were both killed for the most meaningless reasons. Trayvon was 17 years-old and got shot because the neighborhood watch man thought he was “dangerous” looking.
Emmett Till Murder and Trial (J.G. & Z.Z.)
Emmett had a brutal death. He didn’t deserve to die but in a segregated world this was normal but unfair and cruel.
Emmett Till was born in chicago on July 25, 1941. He was an active child but he didn’t know much about racism. His mom was single most of his life and pretty much raised him. When he was 11 his estranged dad came into their home and threatened his Mamie (Emmett’s mom) but Emmett stood up to him grabbing a butcher knife to stand up to him if necessary, so he was a courageous kid. Emmett had a tough life as a kid but he got through it and it made him a strong person.
Despite the strong evidence against them Bryant and Milam (Till's killers) were not found guilty. The trial was very unfair because the court was all white people who were for segregation so his killers got away. He was only fourteen year old boy from Chicago and died so young but that didn’t matter to anyone. Bryant (carolyn’s husband) and Milam (bryant’s half brother) were arrested but even though they admitted and there was there was very strong evidence against them they were still let out of jail a short time later. Emmett Louis Till was served injustice but no one payed for it.
He whistled at Carolyn Bryant because his friends dared him to ask her out. When he was visiting his friends in Money, Mississippi he was bragging about how good he was at getting girls. He also showed his friends pictures of girls he had in his wallet. Little did he know he was walking right into his own death. No one really knows whether he touched Carolyn’s hand, whistled at her, or flirted with her or exactly what was said in the candy store.
His mom was the first black student to make the school’s “A” Honor Roll while raising Emmett as a single mother. Emmett didn’t have a dad growing up because his parents divorced in 1942. Milam (Emmett’s mom) had all this knowledge but it all went to waste. Milam ended up working as an air force clerk and didn’t even use the lessons she learned in school to do her job. Emmett’s dad louis till was a soldier but was convicted of rape and murder and killed on July 2, 1945. Emmett had great parents that taught him well even though his dad wasn’t there most of the time.
They gouged his eyes, shot him in the head, almost beat him to death, and tied him to a cotton gin fan with barbed wire to kill him. This was very harsh and took place only four days after he whistled to Carolyn. When they found his body in the Tallahatchie River he was barely recognisable after three days in the lake. Bryant and Milam stole Emmett from his home in the middle of the night at 2:30am and tortured him for a couple hours then killed him. He had a brutal death that he didn’t deserve and his killers had a punishment they didn’t deserve either.
The “Emmett TIll Interpretive center” is a memorial for the Emmett Till case. It is pretty much a sorry from the community for Emmett’s death. The memorial opened in 2007 and Emmett’s family along with 400 people showed up for the grand opening. The memorial is located at the same place as the courtroom Emmett’s case took place in. The Emmett Till memorial is a popular destination and is a must-see location.
The FBI had recently reopened the Till case in to see if they could find any new information and any other accomplices.
Sources
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-umS3my_StroJYzR_zZmxTgrR8ID-P0_W6yNaF2HMHs/edit?usp=sharing
The FBI had recently reopened the Till case in to see if they could find any new information and any other accomplices.
Sources
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-umS3my_StroJYzR_zZmxTgrR8ID-P0_W6yNaF2HMHs/edit?usp=sharing
Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner (T.R. & M.T.)
James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman were all in their twenties. All three of them were against segregation of the races. All of them were strong supporters of the Civil Rights Movement. Never would they have thought that they would get hurt helping the black race.
Three Civil Rights workers by the names of James Chaney (21), Mickey Schwerner(24) and Andrew Goodman(20) were working to register black voters. James Chaney was a black Mississippian and Goodman and Schwerner were white New Yorkers. All of them were a part of Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). On June 21, 1964 they were sent by CORE to look at a black church that had been burned by the KKK. Their plan was to turn the church into a freedom school. This was not something that the KKK wanted to happen.
After the three men left the church. They started driving out of town. It was then that they were pulled over by deputy Price. He arrested the men on a charge of speeding. He held them in custody until 10 p.m. All three of them were charged only $20. When they left the police station they were then found and taken by the KKK. Their fake arrest was used to kill time until it was dark for the KKK to complete their mission.
The KKK murdered all three of the men that night. They buried the bodies in a dam that was being built. Their car was left at a nearby swamp. The car was found by people from a nearby Native American reservation. Sam Bowers the Klan wizard decided that Michael Schwerner was a bad influence and that he had to be killed. Their deaths caused a national outrage. All of them wanted the races to be equal which was not okay by the KKK.
The FBI and others including deputy Price had to dig the bodies out of the dam. It is kind of crazy because deputy Price was also one to be a part of the murders and the burying. It was 44 days after the murders that the FBI found the bodies. The dug up bodies proved that the men had been badly beat up. The black man, James Chaney, had multiple gun shots on him. Their deaths came to symbolize the white resistance to "Freedom Summer"
Three years later seven klansmen including deputy Price and Samuel Bowers were sentenced three to ten years in prison but none of them serves more than six years. This was the first time that klansmen were convicted of being connected to the deaths of civil rights members and blacks. Samuel Bowers is now serving a life sentence in prison because he ordered a firebombing. There were also many more men who were arrested for conspiracy of the murders.
A recent implication of the deaths of Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner is in 2005 the case reopened. The case reopened because of an interview with Sam Bowers in 1999. He stated that he was glad to see himself be convicted of the crime but the main man in charge of the murders walk out of the room a free man. He was talking about a man named Edgar Ray Killen. He was 80 years old when he was arrested in 2005. He was sentence a 60 year term in prison on three counts of murder.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Np6k1aR9qEV7SOVTwCokflJcQfQnSt_ouBqQzEi2Ky0/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Np6k1aR9qEV7SOVTwCokflJcQfQnSt_ouBqQzEi2Ky0/edit?usp=sharing
Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner (L.M. and J.H.)
James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner were civil rights activists who were killed by the KKK on June 21, 1964. The FBI immediately took action and sent a search party to look for the activists. When the bodies were found it cause a national outrage.
The FBI had a hard time finding the killed activists due to the bodies being hidden. When the men were not found by conventional methods of search parties and finding clues. The FBI resorted to more extreme methods, they hired a mob. To get the information the hired mob interrogated people of interest and threatening people to get a location for the bodies. One man who was interrogated by the mobsters had a loaded gun placed in his mouth and left it there until he spoke where the bodies were buried. The FBI eventually got the location and started a dig site on the location. The bodies were found in a deep hole all buried together.
The corruption seed sown into the police department. Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney were working for black voting rights in Meridian, Mississippi when they were killed by the local KKK. They were on a trip to Philly and were coming back when they were pulled over by Officer Cecil Price (A KKK Klansman). Price held them in prison while KKK members planned their murder for when they were set free. The FBI was alerted of the mens’ disappearance and investigated looking for clues. FBI gained information that the Klan was involved and found the bodies. State court refused to prosecute the 18 KKK members who were charged.
The story behind Andrew Goodman. Andrew Goodman was born and raised in New York City, and was one of three sons. He was an activist from the tender age of 15, and proceeded to attend the University of Wisconsin for one year before transferring to Queens College. Goodman was known to be intelligent, unassuming, happy, and outgoing. Goodman Mountain, a 2,176 foot peak in the Adirondack Mountain town of Tupper Lake, NY, where he and his family spent their summers, is named in Andrew Goodman's memory. "Those Three are On My Mind" (Pete Seeger) was written to commemorate the three victims, and the Simon & Garfunkel song "He Was My Brother" was dedicated to Goodman.
The story behind James Chaney. James Chaney was 21 when he was killed by a mob of KKK Klansmen. He was working in Meridian, Mississippi as one of three American Civil Rights activists. As a kid James was suspended from his high school for wearing a patch supporting the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1962 Chaney joined the Freedom Ride and other non-violent demonstrations. He volunteered at the CORE office and often went to the surrounding towns setting up meetings with people for the CORE office. As a kid James was always described as shy, but at home he was outgoing and talkative.
The story behind Michael Schwerner. Michael was a CORE field worker killed in Philadelphia, Mississippi, by the KKK in response to his work in the area of civil-rights. Michael was born in New York, and attended Michigan State University, he originally wanted to be a vet. He transferred to Cornell University and switched his major to sociology. He quickly earned the hatred of the KKK by organizing the boycott of a store until they hired an African American. He was the most hated civil rights worker in all of Mississippi and was ordered to die by Sam Bowers in May 1964.
The US was Segregated and racist for many years. Many things helped change this for the US and James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner were one of the many thing that change the US. These men died for what they believed was right, to make the US equal for all people.
Sources- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xzG66-yiraU7O9LLU-EIdE3SQGwcmcmv3w0q42ZXQHY/edit?usp=sharing
Sources- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xzG66-yiraU7O9LLU-EIdE3SQGwcmcmv3w0q42ZXQHY/edit?usp=sharing