Emmett Till Essay Resource Collection

Class of 2018, welcome to your social studies blog! Here I will post information and resources that will help you in social studies this year.

Below, there are links to resources and documents organized by category. These resources and documents will help you write your essay on Emmett Till. 

Remember, the question you are answering in your essay is: Many people believe that the murder of Emmett Till was pivotal moment in civil rights history. African Americans had been lynched before without causing a national outcry; why did the of Emmett Till have such a significant impact on many Americans?

Legacy of Lynching

Number of White And Colored Persons Lynched in United States

Jim Crow Stories

Lynchings in America: Statistics, Information, Images

Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America

History of Jim Crow

Signs of Segregation

Jim Crow Laws

Front page of the Russell Daily News, "Segregation in Schools is Outlawed"

Excerpt from Brown v. Board of Education decision

Chicago Defender article, "African Americans Must Keep to One Side of the Sidewalk"

Precedent of Civil Rights Actions

"Rally for the Proposed March on Washington, 1941"

"The Tenth Annual Report of the NAACP for the Year 1919"

Impact of the Media

Excerpts from newspapers covering Emmett Till’s murder and the trial ofMilam and Bryant (click on “press”) 

Reactions to the Look magazine article detailing the confessions of Milam and Bryant. 

 “Emmett Till and the Impact of Images” (brief newsstory)

Aftermath of WWII and Integration of the Armed Services

“Above and Beyond the Call of Duty,” U.S. Government recruitment posterfor the Navy 

“The Return of the Soldier,” drawing by Charles White (1946) 

“United We Win,” a poster published by the U.S. Office of WarInformation (1943)