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Mississippi Trial Sparknotes

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Mississippi Trial, 1955 Racism affected the opinions, actions, and way of life during the 20th century. Hiram Hillburn was born and raised in a racist, Mississippi home. Once his Grama died, he moved back home with his dad with completely different opinions than Grampa. He goes back to Grampas after a few years to visit one of the biggest tragedies of that time took place; The murder and kidnapping of Emmit Till.The author, Chris Crowe, uses allusions to demonstrate the way that the Holocaust and the Jim Crow Laws affected the south in the middle of the 20th century and how racism affected their day to day life. Throughout the book, Hiram constantly observes that his Father and his Grampa don't get along very well. Both people have very different …show more content…

They lived on lots of land with lots of slaves (colored people). Hiram's father did not agree with these racially motivated ideas and this led to tension and friction among the family. Throughout the story, Hiram sees why these ideas are wrong but he doesn't really want to disagree with Grampa because he is not quite sure of his opinions yet. He compares racism to the Holocaust by saying it isn't as bad as what happened to the Jewish people but deep down I believe that he knew that it was still wrong whether there were mass killings or not. On page 76, Hiram states “ I could see where segregation wasn't really fair, but it wasn't the same as something like the Nazis killing all those jews” (Crowe, 76). Him comparing the two tragedies shows the differences between the two because of the time, place and actions, but they are also very closely related because of the racially motivated and inhumane ideas, as well as actions. During the trial of Emmit Till, there were lots of law enforcement officers inside of the courthouse participating in the case. Because of how racist these officers were, they thought that this inhumane, horrible tragedy was something funny and something to laugh about. While sitting in the courtroom, …show more content…

The people really didn't seem like they wanted to be a part of anything involving the murder of a colored boy. They saw this as an inconvenience that they didn't want to be bothered with; hence, “kettle of ours” in the quote. They compare communists and the Nazis because of how they go on killing sprees, but because they don't live in Germany it isn't their problem is the point they're getting at. On page 11, early in the story, It states “And we've got our own problems to take care of, so it's kettle of ours if Comies or Nazis or anybody else wants to go killing each other” (Crowe,11). This quote compares the killing between the Nazis killing the jews, and the white people killing the colored

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Annotated Bibliography Altman, Susan. “Scottsboro Trial.” Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage, Second Edition, Facts On File, 2000. African-American History.

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I am going to compare Tom and Till, for their murders and what had happen to them and the same reasons. They were both killed in the south after the civil war. They were also black. Tom was killed because they thought they he had raped they white women.

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These novels both take place in small, racist towns. This leads to discriminatory actions occurring, including a court case in both novels. The court case in To kill a Mockingbird deals with a rape victim and her extremely racist father who blames a completely innocent man for his daughter's rape. This would likely not happen in a town against discrimination and segregation. In Mississippi Trial, 1955 the court case centers around a boy who was killed for whistling at a white woman.

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A very close relationship with your grandparents is common, But for Hiram Hillburn it's all that he had growing up. ‘’Mississippi trial’’ by chris crowe is a story about a 16 year old boy who was starting to second guess the man that raised hm growing up, his grandpa. Hiriams friend was beaten so bad his eye hung to his cheek, then poor Emmett was murdered. The men that did this were two shop owners named Milam and Bryant, the two guys were found not guilty, but they did it.

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In the south back in the 1930’s there were many Americans who did not know the meaning of equality for all. With this being the case, many black people faced discrimination daily and it followed through to the legal systems especially in the south where both being compared took place. The evidence provided in both trials proved to be weak. Despite this, both defendants had determined lawyers who believed in justice.

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Justified? How? Mississippi Trial, 1955 is a work of historical fiction written by American professor, Chris Crowe. It is about the 1955 kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till, a black teenager who was living in Greenwood, Mississippi. Though Emmett Till really was actually taken from his home and murdered in real life, the novel is narrated by a fictional character, and some of the other characters in the book, including the narrator's family, who are also fictional.

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Tricky Ambition Ambition can be a very tricky thing. Too much ambition can sometimes be bad. However if someone uses ambition in the correct way, it can be a very good thing. In the book Mississippi Trial, 1955, Hiram, the main character, goes through phases where he has the right amount of ambition and times when he has too much. When Hiram decided to get to the bottom of what happened to Emmett Till that was the correct amount of ambition and determination.

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Spanning from northern Minnesota to New Orleans, man quickly realized the Mississippi river could be used to transport cargo and people. With the invention of the steamboat, this idea quickly came into fruition, allowing cargo and people to travel long distances. But the river proved hazardous to traverse, with sandbars, reefs, and hanging branches especially the Upper Mississippi. Later, the construction of the Louisville and Portland canal helped expand commerce, allowing travel from Pittsburg to New Orleans. Abraham Lincoln at a young age became interested in steamboats, due to a childhood experience of earning money ferrying people across the river.

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During the trial for the murder of Emmett Till several people were put on the witness stand, most of whom were black. The way in which the defense, the lawyer for Bryant and Milam, who murdered Emmett Till, spoke demeaningly to the witnesses was clearly racist. An example of what the lawyer said was, ""Chester when you first saw this body, did you recognize it? Was it Emmett Till?” … Did you determine the exact cause of death?”

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His murder became a rallying point for the civil rights movement. The trial of Till’s murderers began on September 19, 1955. From the witness stand Wright identified the men who had kidnapped Till. After four days of testimony, and a little over an hour of deliberation, an all-white, all-male, jury acquitted Bryant and Milam of all charges. Protected from further prosecution by double jeopardy, they later admitted to the murder.

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Some members of the black church in Maycomb were not very accepting of the Finch children when they attended a service, “You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here” (184). The blacks in the community knew what it was like to not be trusted by another race because of their skin color, they felt as if they were not members of the society which created distrust within their community. Also, the blacks felt like outliers and not really members of their community, they had their own neighborhood and worked odd jobs that did not make much money, this forced them into a belief that they were less of people and did not trust the whites because of this. Tom who was put on trial as a black against a white young lady knew the amount of distrust the community had for him, “Mr. Finch, if you was a nigger like me, you’d be scared, too” (261). The fact that Tom knew what was happening in the community to be scared of what someone else did to him proves that the distrust in the community was so immense just because of a color.

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The horrors of having the “wrong” colored skin during the 1940s showed an injustice that led to bloodshed across a country that was meant to be free. A fourteen-year-old Emmett Till was killed due to the lies of a racist woman and the insane acts of her husband. The devastating beating and brutal murder of Emmett Till fueled people to take action for the Civil Rights Movement and shed light on the need for societal reforms. Emmett Till entered an environment completely different from the one he had once experienced in Chicago.

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Mississippi Trial, 1955 Segregation is the action of setting someone or many apart from others. During the story, Mississippi Trial, 1955, Emmett Till is one of many black people who are treated unfairly and are ripped apart from their own community. Hiram noticed the indifference between black and white people. He decides he wants to take action and fix the horrible problems that many are facing. Throughout the novel, Mississippi Trial, 1955, by Chris Crowe, Hiram experiences ups and downs all through the story.

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1088 Words | 5 Pages

She was wary of allowing her son to travel to the area and warned him of potential dangers, admonishing him to steer clear of white people.” After his death, Mamie Till Mobley displayed her son’s body to show the world the vile, hateful acts that racists in the South were capable of. After slightly more than an hour of deliberation, an all-white male jury acquitted J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant of the murder of Emmett Till (“A Hate Crime”). In the courtroom, white people showed up in nice clothes with their children and picnic baskets, while the killers were praised. According to the text, “African Americans in attendance were, however, much more somber and even fearful as they huddled at the back of the courtroom.”

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The injustices of the trial, and the ensuing reaction from the town, shape both a commentary and a criticism of the racism that gripped the US in the mid-1900s, and even today, which enveloped all else when it came

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