This Day in History: 14-year-old Emmett Till murdered in 1955
On this day in 1955, Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American, was murdered after being accused of flirting with a white woman.The brutality of Till's murder, along with the acquittal of his killers, drew attention to the violent persecution of African Americans in the U.S. Till posthumously became an icon of the Civil Rights Movement in the process.Till was born and raised in Chicago, but was visiting family in Money, Mississippi, at the time.Although he had attended a segregated elementary school in Chicago, he was not prepared for the level of segregation he encountered in Mississippi.Till's mother, Mamie Till, had even warned him to take care of himself because of his race. Emmett Till arrived in Money on Aug. 21, where he stayed with his great-uncle, Moses Wright, a sharecropper.On Aug. 24, Till and his cousin, Curtis Jones, went to Bryant's Grocery and Meat Market with some friends.Till went into the store to buy candy, where he encountered 21-year-old cashier Carolyn Bryant. Although what happened inside the store is disputed, Till was accused of flirting with or whistling at Bryant. Bryant later testified that Till grabbed her, made lewd advances and wolf whistled at her.Four days later, Roy Bryant, Carolyn's husband, went to Wright's home along with his half-brother, J.W. Milam. The two forced their way into Wright's home and abducted Till at gunpoint. They severely beat Till and gouged out one of his eyes. They then took him to the banks of the Tallahatchie River, where they killed him with a single gunshot to the head. Bryant and Milam then used barbed wire to tie a large cotton-gin fan to Till's neck, before dumping his body in the river.Wright reported the kidnapping to police and Bryant and Milam were arrested the next day. On Aug. 31, Till's body was discovered, although his face was unrecognizable as a result of the assault.Positive identification was only possible because Till was wearing a monogrammed ring that belonged to his father, Louis. When Till's body returned to Chicago, Mamie Till kept her son's casket open during his funeral, choosing to show the world the brutality of what happened to Emmett Till.Pictures of Till's body in the casket appeared in Jet Magazine and the Chicago Defender.Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam's trial began on Sept. 19, where Wright identified the two as Till's killers.But after four days of testimony and just over an hour of deliberation, an all-white, all-male jury acquitted Bryant and Milam of all charges. Protected from further prosecution by double jeopardy statutes, Bryant and Milam were paid to tell their story to journalist William Bradford Huie with Look Magazine. During the interview, the two confessed to killing Till, with Milam admitting to shooting him.Till's murder contributed to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene in local law enforcement issues when individual civil rights are compromised.In 2017, Tim Tyson, author of the book "The Blood of Emmett Till," revealed that Carolyn Bryant's testimony was false, with Bryant admitting to Tyson that Till never touched, threatened or harassed her.
On this day in 1955, Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American, was murdered after being accused of flirting with a white woman.
The brutality of Till's murder, along with the acquittal of his killers, drew attention to the violent persecution of African Americans in the U.S. Till posthumously became an icon of the Civil Rights Movement in the process.
Till was born and raised in Chicago, but was visiting family in Money, Mississippi, at the time.
Although he had attended a segregated elementary school in Chicago, he was not prepared for the level of segregation he encountered in Mississippi.
Till's mother, Mamie Till, had even warned him to take care of himself because of his race. Emmett Till arrived in Money on Aug. 21, where he stayed with his great-uncle, Moses Wright, a sharecropper.
On Aug. 24, Till and his cousin, Curtis Jones, went to Bryant's Grocery and Meat Market with some friends.
Till went into the store to buy candy, where he encountered 21-year-old cashier Carolyn Bryant. Although what happened inside the store is disputed, Till was accused of flirting with or whistling at Bryant. Bryant later testified that Till grabbed her, made lewd advances and wolf whistled at her.
Four days later, Roy Bryant, Carolyn's husband, went to Wright's home along with his half-brother, J.W. Milam. The two forced their way into Wright's home and abducted Till at gunpoint. They severely beat Till and gouged out one of his eyes. They then took him to the banks of the Tallahatchie River, where they killed him with a single gunshot to the head. Bryant and Milam then used barbed wire to tie a large cotton-gin fan to Till's neck, before dumping his body in the river.
Wright reported the kidnapping to police and Bryant and Milam were arrested the next day. On Aug. 31, Till's body was discovered, although his face was unrecognizable as a result of the assault.
Positive identification was only possible because Till was wearing a monogrammed ring that belonged to his father, Louis. When Till's body returned to Chicago, Mamie Till kept her son's casket open during his funeral, choosing to show the world the brutality of what happened to Emmett Till.
Pictures of Till's body in the casket appeared in Jet Magazine and the Chicago Defender.
Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam's trial began on Sept. 19, where Wright identified the two as Till's killers.
But after four days of testimony and just over an hour of deliberation, an all-white, all-male jury acquitted Bryant and Milam of all charges. Protected from further prosecution by double jeopardy statutes, Bryant and Milam were paid to tell their story to journalist William Bradford Huie with Look Magazine. During the interview, the two confessed to killing Till, with Milam admitting to shooting him.
Till's murder contributed to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene in local law enforcement issues when individual civil rights are compromised.
In 2017, Tim Tyson, author of the book "The Blood of Emmett Till," revealed that Carolyn Bryant's testimony was false, with Bryant admitting to Tyson that Till never touched, threatened or harassed her.