Emmett Till
Emmett Till was a young African American boy who lived a long time ago. He was born in 1941 and grew up in Chicago with his mom. One summer, in 1955, he traveled to Mississippi to visit his family.
While he was there, he went to a store to buy some candy. A white woman who worked in the store accused Emmett of doing something wrong, even though he didn't. She said that he had whistled at her and grabbed her hand. This was not true, but it made the woman very upset.
Later that night, a group of white men came to Emmett's house and took him away. They beat him up really badly, and even shot him in the head. They then threw his body in a river.
Emmett's mom was devastated and wanted the people who hurt her son to be punished. The men who did it were put on trial, but even though it was very clear that they had killed Emmett, they were declared not guilty by the all-white jury.
Emmett's death and the trial that followed caused a lot of anger and sadness throughout the country. People realized that there was still a lot of racism and prejudice against African Americans. It helped to spark the Civil Rights Movement, where people fought for equal rights for everyone. Emmett became a symbol of the fight for justice and dignity.
While he was there, he went to a store to buy some candy. A white woman who worked in the store accused Emmett of doing something wrong, even though he didn't. She said that he had whistled at her and grabbed her hand. This was not true, but it made the woman very upset.
Later that night, a group of white men came to Emmett's house and took him away. They beat him up really badly, and even shot him in the head. They then threw his body in a river.
Emmett's mom was devastated and wanted the people who hurt her son to be punished. The men who did it were put on trial, but even though it was very clear that they had killed Emmett, they were declared not guilty by the all-white jury.
Emmett's death and the trial that followed caused a lot of anger and sadness throughout the country. People realized that there was still a lot of racism and prejudice against African Americans. It helped to spark the Civil Rights Movement, where people fought for equal rights for everyone. Emmett became a symbol of the fight for justice and dignity.