| Summary |
The infamous murder of Emmett Till in 1955 and subsequent trial are arguably one of the most eye-opening events in the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi. The 14-year-old African American boy was brutally beaten, shot, and thrown into the Tallahatchee River for reportedly whistling at a white woman. The two white men who were accused of his murder were freed after the all-white jury deliberated for an hour and a half and found them not guilty.
The murder of Emmett Till ignited national outrage and became a galvanizing symbol of the un-yielding struggle of civil rights in the 1950s. The courage of Till's family in standing up to the secrecy and violence surrounding the trial was applauded by both sides of the civil rights issue. Till's mother, Mamie, also took a stand by having her son's casket open at his funeral showing the brutality of the crime. In 2020, federal authorities re-opened the investigation into Till's death, based upon a new tip that contradicts the original trial.
The trial of the two accused murderers was held in Sumner, Mississippi, and it was plagued with racial prejudice. The jury, which was comprised of entirely white men, took only one hour and a half to come to a decision of not guilty. The defense argued that the jury's decision was largely influenced by the fear of an all-black jury taking revenge on the two white men.
The trial of Emmett Till's murderers is seen as a major event in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s. Till's death was a major factor of pushing the African American people to stand up and fight for their rights and justice. The trial of his murderers, and the outrageous verdict, galvanized the fight for civil rights, sparking national outrage and bringing the issue of racial discrimination to the forefront of the American consciousness.
In 2020, the federal government took a new step in the investigation of the Till case by re-opening the investigation based on a new tip that contradicts the original trial. Though no charges have been brought, this could be an important step towards finding justice for Emmett Till.
The murder of Emmett Till in 1955 is remembered as one of the most traumatic events of the Civil Rights Movement, igniting national outrage and pushing for the fight for justice for African Americans. His tragic death brought forth a new sense of unity in the Civil Rights Movement, and the 2020 investigation into the case could be a possible step towards acknowledging the wrong done to Till, and finding justice for the young boy.
Keywords/Phrases: Emmett Till, Civil Rights Movement, Mississippi, Mamie Till, 1954 trial, Sumner Mississippi jury, African American, Racial Discrimination, national outrage, fight for justice, 2020 investigation, new tip.
Murder in Mississippi: Racism, Hate Crimes and Justice
For centuries the state of Mississippi has been a hotbed of racial tension and violence, and this continues to be a significant issue today. In 1964, three young civil rights workers--James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner--were murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan in Neshoba County, Mississippi. The “Mississippi Burning†case, as it came to be known, brought national attention to the ongoing civil rights struggles taking place in the state, and to the prevalence of hate crimes.In a state where people of color have long been subjected to systemic racism, it is estimated that nearly one-third of racially motivated murders go unsolved. This is due in part to the lack of attention and resources devoted to the investigation and prosecution of such crimes. Yet, many of these cases–the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, Medgar Evers, and the 1955 murder of Emmett Till, to name a few–have become iconic symbols of the civil rights struggle, and have helped bring attention to the need for justice and accountability in cases of hate-motivated violence.
In recent years, Mississippi has taken steps to address hate crimes, but there is still much work to be done. In 2019, a bill was passed requiring law enforcement to report hate crime data to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The state also created a Hate Crime Registry, which is a database of convicted hate crime offenders. Additionally, the state has allocated funds to empower civil rights prosecutors, and has implemented training on identifying, investigating and prosecuting hate crimes.
In spite of these advances, Mississippi still has a long way to go in terms of preventing, prosecuting, and punishing hate crimes. Racial disparities in law enforcement, inadequate reporting of hate crimes, and limited resources for investigations remain a challenge. As Mississippi and the rest of the nation continue to grapple with racial injustice and inequality, it is imperative that hate crimes are taken seriously, and that perpetrators are held accountable.
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An FBI investigation turned up the missing bodies. According to Professor Ball, the federal investigation led to the arrests of 18 to 21 Klansmen. They were charged with conspiracy to harm or intimidate Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman in their free exercise and enjoyment of a right and privileged secured by the 14th Amendment without due process of law (Section 241) and by persons acting under ''color of law'' (section 242). Professor Ball asserts that even though this trial was held in federal court, the judge in charge of the trial lived in Mississippi, and the jury presiding over the trial was pulled from the local area, the State of Mississippi had yet to convict any person accused of murdering a black man or a white civil rights worker. Many were skeptical that this case would be any different.
Professor Ball writes that the judge dismissed the indictment of section 241, ruling that 241 only protected federally created rights and not any right ''merely'' guaranteed by the Constitution. He further dismissed, with the exception of the police involved in the murders, the section 242 indictments because the men were ''private individuals'' and not acting ''under color of law.''
The Supreme Court took up the case in United States v. Price and unanimously ruled that both 241 and 242 were applicable to all defendants. The Court ruled that Section 241 applied to any right or privilege protected by the Constitution or the laws of the United States. The Court further ruled that Section 242 applied to state officers and those who associated with them. The United States v. Price decision was important because it was a definitive ruling on the scope of Sections 241 and 242. Professor Ball asserts that the decision was significant because of its broader implications; it gave the Department of Justice a new weapon against recalcitrant southern states when they could not or would not act to bring to justice people who disregarded other people's civil rights.
Due to the Supreme Court's ruling, seven of the eventual 18 defendants were found guilty and sentenced to periods ranging from three to 10 years in prison. To this day, the more severe charge of murder has yet to be brought against any of the defendants for murdering the three civil rights workers. Professor Ball says that although the State of Mississippi has reopened the case, time is running out for the state to seek justice on behalf of the murdered trio because soon there will be no defendant to charge, as they will all be dead. The author further asserts that many of the Klansmen received light sentences and that State should do more to bring the defendants still living to justice. According to Professor Ball, the State of Mississippi needs to bring the murders to justice, because, if not, the past will always remain with this state and Mississippians will always be tainted.
Professor Howard Ball is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Vermont and a Professor of Law at the Vermont Law School. Professor Ball currently teaches Supreme Court Politics and Process. He is a prolific writer whose numerous books include A Defiant Life: Thurgood Marshal and the Persistence of Racism in America, Of Power and Right: Justices Black and Douglas and America's Constitutional Revolution, and The Bakke Case: Race, Education and Affirmative Action.
