Violence against black people
By 1954, it was almost 100 years since slavery had been abolished. However, black Americans continued to face extreme violence, such as beatings and Executing someone (usually by hanging) without a legal trial.. Frequently it was done under the claim of an alleged offence, but without holding a legal trial. In most instances, these brutal murders and beatings were not stopped or investigated by the police. In total, over 400 black Americans were lynched by the KKK throughout the 1920s.
White supremacy groups
The A white supremacist organisation that used violence and intimidation to target black, immigrant, Jewish and Catholic people. Its members believe, based on incorrect and unscientific ideas about evolution, that white people are superior and should therefore hold the power in society. (KKK) is a violent and secretive organisation that was founded after the Civil War. Its members believe in white supremacy - the idea that white people were from a superior race.
The KKK increased its activity after World War Two. KKK members hated black people and opposed any form of equality with them. Some of its actions included:
- burning crosses, marching and wearing hooded gowns to terrorise black people
- violence against black Americans, including lynching and other aggressive actions to intimidate black people
- scaring black people in order to prevent them from voting
One of the reasons the KKK was so powerful was because it was difficult for black people to get justice for crimes committed against them in a court of law. When a case against a white person did get to court, the members of the jury were usually white. They were often biased and ruled in favour of the accused white person.
Treatment of black activists
Some of the most extreme violence was used against black Americans who supported the civil rights movement, such as George Lee and Lamar Smith. They were just two of many People who actively campaign for a cause. who faced such violence.
George Lee was a black voter and farmer in Mississippi who refused to give up his right to vote and was shot in his car. His death was ruled as accidental by the authorities.
Lamar Smith was also a farmer who lived in Mississippi. He taught black people how to vote without the need to attend a polling station. He was shot outside a courthouse after voting. No one was charged with his murder despite the fact that there were witnesses to the crime.
The murder of Emmett Till
Emmet Till was a 14-year-old African American who lived in Chicago, in the North. During August 1955, Till was visiting his cousins in the southern town of Money, Mississippi, in the South, and went to a local store.
He was accused of harassing a local white woman working in the store. This alarmed his cousins due to the violence that the A white supremacist organisation that used violence and intimidation to target black, immigrant, Jewish and Catholic people. Its members believe, based on incorrect and unscientific ideas about evolution, that white people are superior and should therefore hold the power in society. handed out to African Americans on a regular basis.
Three days after the incident, Emmett was kidnapped from his uncle鈥檚 house. He was tortured, To disfigure or remove parts of a body. and shot. His body was found in a river.
Two local men, Roy Bryant and JW Milam, were arrested and put on trial for the murder in September 1955. Till鈥檚 uncle identified Bryant and Milam as the men who had kidnapped Emmett from his house. However, they were both found not guilty by the all-white jury, who took only 67 minutes to make their decision.
Emmett Till鈥檚 funeral
Till鈥檚 funeral was held in Chicago. It drew mass media attention. One reason for this was the nature of Till鈥檚 death. Another was the fact that Bryant and Milam had been found not guilty despite witness accounts suggesting they had committed the murder.
Till鈥檚 mother, Mamie Till, decided to hold an open-casket funeral. This meant that mourners could view his body and see how brutally he had been beaten. Images of his open casket were too shocking for most newspapers to print and television channels to broadcast.
Aftermath of Emmett Till鈥檚 murder
Till鈥檚 murder was a very significant moment in the civil rights campaign. A huge national audience was made aware of the violence, discrimination and prejudice that black Americans faced. The murder and the freeing of Till鈥檚 killers had a major impact on civil rights activists. Various groups began to work together, such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was created in 1909 to eliminate race-based discrimination across the United States of America. and black church organisations. They openly supported the civil rights movement by protesting about Till鈥檚 case at a A mass public meeting, often held to show support for a cause or make a political protest. in New York City in 1955.