The murder of Emmett Till can be contributed to a number of cultural and historical factors that were present during the 1950's and 1960's. During this time the southern states were still smack in the middle of trying to avoid black integration into society. The south still viewed the black race as inferior and flat out disgusting. Although slavery was not still in existence, the persecution of the black race was still seen, especially in the Delta, where Till would eventually meet his end. Blacks, during this time, were seen as sex craved individuals. The main fear of he white man was that a black individual would "infest" his family. Because of this sexual propaganda that was raised in the south, black men were told as young kids to avoid contact with white women. This even involved eye contact. If contact was made, then in most cases the black man would be punished, either by a brutal beating or by a lynching. Lynchings were very popular in the south during these segregated times. According to the archives of the Tuskegee Institute of Alabama, 4,743 persons were lynched between 1882 and 1968. Of these victims, 3,446, or over 72 %, were black (Whitfield, pg.5). Another factor that led to the murder of Emmett Till was the fact that he was from the north. Raised in Chicago, Till was not familiar with the traditions and environment in the south. When he went into that store to talk to Carolyn Bryant, Till did not think he was doing anything wrong. Till also did not see anything wrong in keeping a picture of a white woman in his wallet. Though that may have been acceptable in Chicago, in the south it would not be tolerated.
Bryant and Millam were acquitted of the murder of Emmett Till mainly due to the fact that in the south during this time, no white man could be convicted of killing a black man. It was just the way it was. In fourteen cases between 1955 and 1957 involving white defendants charged with violating the rights of blacks, Southern jurors sprang their peers loose in all but one trial (Whitfield, pg.
The civil rights struggle of the 1950's and 1960's created certain incidents, organizations and people such as Emitt Till, Rosa Parks, Little Rock Nine, NAACP, Brown vs. ... The first major character of the civil rights movement is Emitt Till. ... In Chicago different marches occurred for the justice of Emmitt Till and the rest of the African American community. ...
