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Monday, December 15, 2014

OBC - Getting Away With Murder - The Story of the Emmett Till Case


98 comments:

  1. I chose this because right now I know just a tiny bit about Emmett Till's murder. But, I want to learn a lot more about his murder case and why the murderers murdered and what Emmett Till did to "deserve" such abuse.

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  3. I chose this book because I learned about Emmett in 5th grade and in this class but, I wanted more details. I want to learn more about Emmett him self, the killers and what were they thinking, and his friend. They knew what they were going do to him but they still told him to do it.

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  4. I chose to read this book about Emmet Till because it was an interesting thing to happen. It changed the world we are in now because of the racism and made the Jim Crow law more of a big deal. I learnt about Emmet Till in this class a couple of months ago and it interested me.

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  5. I chose this book because I wanna know how he got away with murder

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  6. I chose this book because I want to know how and why Emmett Till got murdered. I learned a little about the story before but I still want to know more.

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  7. Although this was not my first choose of a book, I would really like to read this book because when we were doing the Emmett Till project, I feel i didn't learn that much, So by choosing this book, I have chosen to learn more about the topic. And that it was kinda rare thing that would happen, It's just abnormal for someone to do that nowadays.

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  8. I wanted to read this book because I was interested in how it all went down and what really happened. When we did research on it I was totally hooked from the beginning.

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  9. i chose to read this book because i wanted to more about the subject. Things like why would it ever, even back then, be okay to kill someone so brutaly just because of race, skin color or even religion.

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  10. I picked this book because i like to learn about history and i would to learn why they did it and how they got away with it.

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  11. In the book I was confused about when they talked about being armed with cigars and baby boys. I think they were to help them win but I was still confused with the cigars and how they would help. Another thing I was confused about was why were there so many people at the court house that day. I get if they know one of them but it doesn't make sense to me.

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    1. maybe they brought their families because then the judge would think they're innocent because they have to take care of everything at home.

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  12. In this book I was confused when the guy found out where Emmett lived and why did the granddad say emmett lived here

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    2. I was also confused there but I mean he had a gun and I would give up a nephew that I barely know for my life. But when they were in the room I would've gone and got a gun and killed both of them.

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  13. I was confused because with out background knowledge I wouldn't know why they killed him. They just said how they killed him not why.

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    1. They killed him because he had flirted with a white girl who was married and the husband didn't like it, so the husband and a couple of other people had killed him for that.

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    2. I know that but if you didn't have any background knowledge you wouldn't know for a while afterwards.

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    3. Emmett Till was accused of whistling at Mrs. Bryant at Bryant's Grocery and Meat Market. J. W. William and Roy Bryant then went to his uncle’s house and found Emmet and drove their truck far away. They beat and then shot Emmett and sent him down the river.

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  14. The thing that confused me was when the book, that the guy was writing said that racial segregation would ruin our country. We've gone like 19-ish years and we've just fine, and i don't get why he would say that. And it said that the North white kids are more dull now that people are getting along, well what does that say about them?

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  15. the thing that confused me was that they got away with murder and they said they did it but still didn't get in trouble.

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    1. They had more than one trial so they got away with some judges but in the end they didn't.

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    2. The had a bunch of trials, they had the advantage of being white and because they were white and because of the Jim Crow laws they had gotten away with some stuff, But in other trials they hadn't. Over all though the murders hadn't gotten away with what they did. The thing they had done was decpicable.

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  16. In the book I was confused by the two young men murderering Emmett Till and they didn't get punished.

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    1. well they had a lot of trials some they got away with it but others trials they didn't get away with it but over all they got away with it

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  17. do you guys think that it was ok to kill someone so brutally? like i know the killers were white, but it still isn't good because he was a kid also.

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  18. Week of January 5th - Each group member needs to comment with a discussion question or idea for the group. Then reply to each other's questions. You will need to reply to at least 3 group members, but feel free to reply to more.

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  19. What I would like to know is why Emmett would go that extra step. He had already completed the dare at the completed the dare when he went to the candy shop and bought some candy, but why would you wolf whistle and then grab her hips. That to me seems really rude and it kinda seemed like he wasn't really in on the dare, it kinda seemed like he wanted to flirt with her. He also seemed very persistant, what i mean by that is that he really didn't give up trying to get her, he kinda just kept trying and trying, he really only stopped when he was dragged out by his friends and shoved him in the car.

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    1. discussion question ^
      l
      l

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  20. When Emmett Till's Aunt and Uncle begged for Emmett's life, by telling Milam and Bryant they could have as much money from them as they wanted, the men didn't take the money, they kidnapped Emmett.Why did they do that?

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    1. They took Emmett instead of the money because them getting Emmett was what they initially wanted. Emmett "disrespected" the white woman in the supermarket.

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    2. I think they didn't because one, they wanted to get a point across that they mean business and that they were bigger and stronger than them. Also back in that time African Americans didn't have much money because of the jobs that they were given so they wouldn't get that much money from the family.

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    3. They didn't come for money, they came to kill Emmet. They didn't like what he did, so they weren't going to let anything get in there way. Money wasn't as important as killing Emmet to them.

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  21. Do you think Emmett Till's Aunt and Uncle should tell the police who did it, or do you think they should keep it a secret for their own safety? Why or why not? Explain.

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    1. I think that His Aunt and Uncle should tell the police because Emmett was their family. It shouldn't matter to them. Help bring your nephew to justice. No one would let those two get away for killing someone.

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    2. I think both because if you tell the police who did it then his murder will most likely be brought to justice but she could also be killed. If they keep it a secret then it will take a while longer to find them.

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    3. Well, by you asking that question, it really doesn't make sense to me because the two boys that killed Emmett had a trial. The world knew who the two boys were. So why would you tell the police if they are already having a trial to know if they are guilty or not. The police already know who they were.

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  22. When Emmett's Aunt and Uncle begged for Milam and Byant not to hurt him, they offered money. Why did Milam and Byant not accept the cash?

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    1. I would think that they wouldn't take the cash because they wanted this guy dead, so it's kinda like a mission. Your there to do what your going to do, and nothing but that. And what also comes to mind is your loved ones are more important than money, because your loved ones can make you happy and make you feel good, where as money can only make you feel good, money can't buy initial happiness.

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    2. Milam and Bryant most likely wanted to say they killed a black to sound tough and in their time lots of people were accusing blacks of things they most likely didn’t do and then killed them. So they could have done what they thought was right and were going along with the crowd.

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    3. I think they didn't accept the cash because they weren't killing him for the money. They wanted him dead for what he did to Bryant's wife. That's why they didn't accept the cash.

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    4. they didn't really need money they just felt like getting revenge on emmett

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  23. Emmett's mother told him about Mississippi and the conditions down in her home state. She know what it was like to be in Mississippi. Do you like it was a good idea for her to let Emmett go to Money, Mississippi. Why or Why not. Explain.

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    1. I don't, especially when his mother had warned him not to go because conditions, But i also think that it was a good thing, that A.) The mom really didn't explain why he shouldn't go there, so there was nothing he knew about the town and it's schools and B.) If that really haddent happened we would still be segregated and we would still treat african american people like they are animals.

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    2. I think Emmett's mother shouldn't have let Emmett go to Mississippi because he has never been around the discrimination against African-Americans. He might have also, been "too nice" to white women.

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    3. I think it was a very bad choice. Especially with all the things going on during the time period. They should have had the cousins and parents come up north instead.

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    4. I think it was a really bad idea and he should of listened to his mom and not went.

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    5. It was not a good idea because she told him about Mississippi and he still went down there

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  24. It was confusing when the book said they were armed with cigars and baby boys. Why would cigars and baby boys would help in a fight? Explain.

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    1. I don't really know why the cigars would help but I think the baby boys because they could have told some story about were they were so they wouldn't get punished and go to jail.

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    2. They used cigars and baby boys because the army needed every weapon they could use.

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    3. Cigars most likely just because they can smoke because back then a lot of people used to smoke, or they could use it for bribing purposes. Then the baby boys because if they got in a fight they could use it as a shield and that would lower the chances of the person attempting to shoot Milam or Bryant.

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  25. I want to know why he did not listen to his mom when she said he should not go

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    1. Emmett didn't listen to his Mom because his cousins were down in Mississippi and he rarely gets to see them. So, he decided to go and see them instead of going on the vacation with his mother.

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    2. His mom didn't say not to go. She was telling him what to do and what not to do in the south. She was trying to help him get through the vacation. But he ended up dead because he didn't listen.

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    3. I would of stay in Argo because his mom said its different down there

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  26. Why did Emmett even go down south where there was a lot of racism. The cousins and their parents should have come up north instead where the blacks were free to do what they want. Then Emmett might not have been killed.

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    1. i believe the same thing and what he did was not the smartest thing he should of stayed

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    2. The cousins might not have been able to afford it. But I think that he should have stayed up north with his family. But sometimes you wan't to explore new places, but that didn't work out for Emmett.

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    3. I thought the same thing because his mom did say it was different

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    4. I think Emmett wanted to see his aunt, uncle, and cousins and didn’t think what his mom was telling him was true. His friends said he loved jokes so he probably thought what his mom was telling him was a joke. The uncle also didn’t know Emmett would be wandering into shops and interacting with white women. His uncle also said he would keep Emmett safe but he let Emmett go into stores which was not a good idea.

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  27. Round Two. Comment about something that shocked or surprised you in the second half of the book. Write it in a way that will allow others to discuss this idea/event with you. Reply to at least 3 other comments (if possible). All must be done by Jan 23rd. There will be no lates with this blog.

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  28. I can't believe that the two boys had gotten away with killing Emmett Till. I would have thought that because they had actually done it and they had some witnesses, thy would have for sure gotten arrested. I have gone through life thinking that they had gotten arrested. My life's a lie. What are some of your thoughts on this?

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    1. I thought it was weird that they weren't arrested, but when you think about it so many other whites killed blacks and weren't arrested. This was probably the argument they said in court so that they weren't arrested.

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    2. I cant believe it either. Now days it would be almost impossible to do something like that and get away with it.

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    3. Well that kinda makes sense, but it kinda makes me think more into it now because you said that, and I came up with maybe some of the deaths weren't as gruesome as his. Or maybe it was because the mom had made such a big deal of it, it had spread across the country and made a bigger deal than it really was. I know that killing someone is big, but You don't normally see this type of thing in the news. There have been some, but not normally.

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    4. I thought that it wasn't right that they didn't arrest. They had all the evidence that showed it was them. They even had many witnesses to testify.

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    5. I thought it wasn't fair that Bryant and Milam were not arrested. They even had evidence that Bryant and Milam kidnapped and murdered Emmett Till.

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    6. I agree with all of you. It was not right at all that they were not arrested. They had full proof that it was Bryant and Milam. They kidnapped and brutally murdered a 14 year old boy. They should not have gotten away with that.

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  29. I was surprised when J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant got away with killing Emmett Till even though there was evidence that they did it. What do you think.

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    1. I was too! I think it's so dumb that that back then just because you were a certain colour you could get away with almost anything you wanted! It's really dumb to me why you would do such a thing then try to testify that you didn't do it.

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  30. I was surprised when so many blacks came to the jury because there was a chance they could have been shot. Why do you think they came? Was it really that important?

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    1. I think they came because they knew what was right and that they did kill Emmett. It was a big deal because this was going on for a long time in the south and not many people's cases got into court.

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    3. I think they came because they wanted to fight for what was right and wanted more peace throughout the South/world.

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    4. It was probably because they were supporting Emmett Till and want to see the outcome. Also this did leave to the big Civil Rights act.

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    5. I think they came because they knew what had happened to Emmett and they wanted to see what would happen. And i really don't think they could've been shot, i mean if you were at court for something like killing a person would that be like contradicting your argument as to why you aren't guilty?

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    6. I don't think they cared if they got shot or not. I just think they came because they wanted peace and justice and wanted everything to be right.

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    7. I don't think they would of been shot well they were in court

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  31. I was surprised that there even was a trial for Milam and Bryant because it isn't like they got charged for kidnapping and murdering Emmett Till... what do you think?

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    1. They did get charged for kidnapping Emmett. I wasn't surprised when they had the trial because it was a big deal what they did. No one ever really went that far before Milam and Bryant.

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    2. I agree. It was obvious that they brutally beat him and kidnapped him. I think they would be sent straight to prison.

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    3. Well, yeah i guess, i agree, why would you have a trial even if you weren't gonna get charged. It seems like a slap on the hand kind of thing. Sure you get into trouble, well kinda but you really don't have a punishment for it.

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    4. I think the same if they said they did it then why wouldn't they get in trouble

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  32. I was surprised when Emmett went into the store and was talking to Carolyn Bryant because his mother told him about Mississippi and did listen. I tought he would have been more careful with what he was saying to the white people in Mississippi.

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    1. I definitely agree. Emmett Till's mom kept reminding Emmett on how to act in the south.But,Emmett didn't listen very well to his mother.

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    2. Me too. Emmett seems like the kind of boy that would listen to his mother and understand what she says.

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    3. Me too, but the book and other websites also said that Emmett liked jokes so he could have thought it was a joke and not believe his mother.

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    4. Well, i would've thought that too, but ( Talking from personal experiance ) You tend to act a different way with your friends that you do with your parents. You can act silly and weird and goofy with your friends, but it seems like when you try to do this stuff with your parents, they are more serious about it.

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    5. I agree. He might have listened a little bit to his mother but he probably still lacked the understanding of how to act. He did not think that he would be brutally murdered over this. His friends told him it was just a joke and a dare.

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  34. I was disappointed when Milam and Bryant were not charged at all and didn't get in trouble, even when after the trial. I wondered why they didn't get charged for murder after Milam and Bryant confessed about killing Emmett Till.

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    1. I was too. The fact that they didn't get charged made me really mad, They know what they did. A lot of other people knew it too. They just let them off the hook because the fact that they were white.

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  35. Why did the jury believe them? They didn't agree on putting them into prison and I don't understand why. It was obvious that they did something wrong.

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    1. I thought the jury believed them because they were probably still racist like some people in the south so the judge would believe the whites more than the blacks.

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    2. Well, you have to think about what it would've been like back then. If you weren't white, You basically weren't anything at all. SO if you have a white person on trial and then you have an african american, it would seem that the white person has more of a chance winning than the african american.

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    3. i feel the same way but i think they knew that they did it but they were also racist.

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  36. I felt shocked when I heard that they did not go to jail I felt like the judge is racist and knew that he did it but was not going to punish him.

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