United States History Question of the Day
Answer and Explanation


Emmett Till's murder in 1955 was a
stimulus for the civil rights movement
(Source:Wikimedia Commons--public domain)

Question 0100208:

The brutal murder of this 14-year old boy in Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman gave the U.S. a glimpse of the hatred and segregation of the deep South and provided motivation for the newly emerging civil rights movement.
 
    (A)   James Meredith
    (B)   Emmett Till
    (C)   Orval Faubus
    (D)   Andrew Goodman
    (E)    Mickey Schwerner

Answer:
 
    (B)   Emmett Till
Explanation: Till, a resident of Chicago, was visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi. A white woman complained that Till had whistled at and spoken to her in a store. Till was kidnapped and killed and his body discovered in a nearby river. A trial acquitted two defendants who claimed they had kidnapped Till but contended they let him go. Following their acquittal, the two admitted to Look magazine they had killed Till. His murder provided a strong call for racial justice in the newly developing Southern civil rights movement.
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