Brochure, "Behind the Lynching of Emmet Louis Till," 1955
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In August 1955, a Black fourteen-year-old boy named Emmett Till was abducted from a relative's house while visiting family in Mississippi. Two white men accused him of teasing a white woman and lynched Till as punishment--his mutilated corpse was later pulled from the Tallahatchie River. An all-white jury found his murderers--who later admitted to the act--not guilty. The murder and acquittal were evidence of the Deep South's violent social codes. Till's mother insisted on displaying her son's disfigured body in an open casket for all to see. Outrage spurred community organization that ignited the modern Civil Rights movement.
In August 1955, a Black fourteen-year-old boy named Emmett Till was abducted from a relative's house while visiting family in Mississippi. Two white men accused him of teasing a white woman and lynched Till as punishment--his mutilated corpse was later pulled from the Tallahatchie River. An all-white jury found his murderers--who later admitted to the act--not guilty. The murder and acquittal were evidence of the Deep South's violent social codes. Till's mother insisted on displaying her son's disfigured body in an open casket for all to see. Outrage spurred community organization that ignited the modern Civil Rights movement.
Artifact
Brochure
Date Made
December 1955
Subject Date
December 1955
Creators
Burnham, Louis E., 1915 or 16-1960
Place of Creation
United States, New York, New York
Creator Notes
Written by Louis E. Burnham; published by Freedom Associates, New York, New York.
Keywords
Collection Title
On Exhibit
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
2001.48.21
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 7.375 in
Width: 5 in
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