The Injustice of Emmett Till’s Murder

The cruel murder of Emmett Till was a sad moment in the history of the United States, and it is even more appalling to learn that the perpetrators of this heinous act were not convicted. Following the new information that was revealed by author Timothy Tyson, it was interesting to learn that Carolyn Bryant fabricated her testimony when she claimed that Emmett Till made physical and verbal advances on her.

Although she was somewhat remorseful of lying on the stand when she talked to Tyson, Carolyn was willing to lie to the court in order to acquit her husband and his half-brother. Additionally, her false allegations that Mr. Till had made physical and verbal advances on her were evidently fueled by her belief that whites were superior to African Americans. For example, Carolyn told Timothy Tyson that she was happy that had changed compared to the 1950s as she thought the old system, which supported white supremacy, was wrong (Weller, 2017).

The new information reveals that African Americans were regarded as being inferior to white citizens in the 1950s. Thus, they did not enjoy the same standing in the community as the whites. Carolyn Bryant says that she saw white supremacy as normal in the 1950s, but her view on the matter has changed since then. Additionally, the author of the article described the courtroom as being racially segregated. The jury was composed of only white men. Despite the prosecution presenting compelling evidence, the jury still gave a not-guilty verdict in favour of the offenders who were white men (Weller, 2017). This demonstrates that African Americans were not fairly represented in the state court, and also they did not have fair judicial treatment in the 1950s.

References

Weller, S. (2017). How Author Timothy Tyson Found the Woman at the Center of the Emmett Till Case. Retrieved from https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/01/how-author-timothy-tyson-found-the-woman-at-the-center-of-the-emmett-till-case