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The Murder of Emmett Till

Crafted by Trivia Architect jouen58

Fun Trivia : Quizzes : Afro-American : The Murder of Emmett Till

Introduction:
"The brutal 1955 murder of 14 year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi after allegedly flirting with a white woman shocked the world and galvanized the American civil rights movement. How much do you know about this American tragedy?"


1. Emmett Till was born on July 25, 1941 in Chicago, Illinois. At the time of the murder, he was a healthy fourteen year-old with a stocky build, but as a child he had suffered from a serious and debilitating illness; what was it?
    Tuberculosis
    Leukemia
    Polio
    Meningitis


2. Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till, was reluctant to allow Emmett to go to Mississippi to stay with some of her relatives, but Emmett’s persistence eventually won out and she sent him to stay with her cousin, Moses (Preacher) Wright. Before sending him to Mississippi, Mamie advised Emmett to be himself and not to be intimidated by whites.
    True
    False


3. The incident that triggered Emmett’s murder occurred in the town of Money, Mississippi, at Bryant’s Grocery, run by Roy Bryant and his wife Carolyn. Emmett is alleged to have flirted quite brazenly with Carolyn, who was alone in the store at the time, although accounts differ as to exactly how brazen he was. Which of the following was Emmett NOT said to have done during his visit to the store?
    Said “Bye, Baby” as he was leaving the store
    Put his arms around Carolyn
    Kissed Carolyn
    Whistled at Carolyn


4. When her husband Roy Bryant returned home five days after the incident at the store, Carolyn immediately told him that she had been insulted by a black youth.
    True
    False


5. Emmett was abducted from the home where he was staying early in the morning of August 28, 1955 by Roy Bryant and his half-brother, J.W. Miliam. Which family member answered the door, spoke to the two men, and later identified them in court?
    Curtis Jones, Emmett’s cousin
    Elizabeth Wright
    Moses Wright
    Simeon Wright, Emmett's cousin


6. On August 31, a young boy fishing in the Tallahatchie River noticed Emmett’s body in the water, caught on a low-hanging tree branch. Emmett had been forced to strip naked and was horribly brutalized before being weighted and thrown into the river. What had been the cause of death?
    Gunshot to the head
    Drowning
    Severe beating
    Strangulation


7. Emmett's body was in a severe state of decomposition when it was found, apart from the damage to the face, making identification difficult, however a certain item found on the corpse helped to identify it as Emmett. What was it?
    A watch
    A ring
    An ID bracelet
    An earring


8. At Mamie Till’s insistence, Emmett’s body was sent by train back to Chicago for burial. Although Mamie fainted when she saw the horribly battered and water-logged remains of her son, she ultimately made the brave (and, no doubt, wrenching) decision to have an open casket at the funeral. By this time, the Till murder had become a cause-celebre throughout the country and, indeed, the world. Which of these magazines originally published unedited photos of Till’s body laid out in the casket?
    Look
    Time
    Ebony
    Jet


9. Emmett’s father had been executed for murder in Italy while serving in the army during WWII.
    True
    False


10. Incredibly, despite a mountain of evidence, circumstantial and otherwise, the two killers were acquitted of both murder and kidnapping on September 23, 1955. What reason did the jury members offer as an excuse for this verdict?
    They weren't convinced that Emmett's body had been found.
    They felt that Bryant and Miliam had acted in Carolyn's defense.
    They couldn't convict without an eyewitness to the crime.
    That the testimony of a black witness was inadmissable.


11. Widespread outrage over the Till verdict became even more intense when the two killers gave an interview for "Look" magazine in which they boldly admitted to having murdered the boy. How long after the trial did this take place?
    One year later
    About four months later
    The following week
    Ten months later


12. Which of the following key events in the history of the civil rights movement took place just over three months after Emmett Till's murder and was, in fact, prompted by it?
    Martin Luther King Jr.'s march on Washington.
    The formation of the Black Panther party.
    The "Brown vs. Board of Education" ruling.
    Rosa Park's refusal to give up her seat on a bus.


13. The Emmett Till case has inspired many writers, poets, and songwriters. Which of the following was NOT created to memorialize the Till case?
    A play by Tennessee Williams
    A poem by Langston Hughes
    A play by Toni Morrison
    A song by Bob Dylan


14. After their fifteen minutes of fame were over, Bryant and Miliam returned to their respective businesses in Money, Mississippi (Miliam took up farming, Bryant returned to his store), but each found himself dogged by failure. What was the principal reason for their respective failures?
    They were pestered by the press and public.
    Both men had become alcoholics while in prison.
    They were repeatedly picketed by civil-rights advocates.
    Blacks refused to work for Miliam or patronize Bryant's store.


15. In 2002, the PBS (Public Broadcasting System) aired a documentary on the Till murder. Till's mother Mamie was interviewed for this program; did she live to see it air on television?
    Yes
    No


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