Eyes on the Prize – Emmett Till
Directions: Please try to answer the following questions as you watch the video.
1. There were __500___ lynchings in Mississippi in recent years.
2. Who was Emmett Till and what happened to him in the summer of 1955?
From Chicago - 14 years old - visiting uncle in Mississippi for summer
3. What relation was Mose Wright to Emmett Till? His _UNCLE_______.
4. How did Mamie Till Bradley ensure that her son’s death meant something?
Open casket - mourners/world can see what happened to her son
5. What was the impact of Till’s murder on African-Americans nationwide?
Membership in NAACP soared; African Americans were angered by killing and injustice
6. What was Roy Bryant (the husband of the woman in the store) and J.W. Milam’s (her brother-in-law) defense? What
did their lawyers argue?
Emmitt whistled at his wife (possibly flirted or touched her hand/waist)
Body pulled out of river couldn't be identified (Was it him at all?)
Identified themselves when they came to take him from uncle's house BUT CLAIMED they let him go
7. Why was Mose Wright decision to testify in the trial so significant and heroic?
Threat to his life to testify in court against white men; first time that an African American has accused two white men in court and lived (fled to Chicago and never returned to Mississippi)
8. What was the outcome of the trial? GUILTY / NOT GUILTY NOT GUILTY
9. Why did J.W. Milam tell a reporter that he “had” to kill Till? What error did young Till make?
Emmitt wasn't afraid of him - he had crossed the line and needed to be taught a lesson
Eyes on the Prize – Integration of Little Rock High School
1. What did the 8 black students who traveled to school together on the first day experience when they got there?
Prevented from entering school by Arkansas Governor and National Guard
a. What happened to the ninth student, Elizabeth Eckford?
Not with the others (didn't get message to meet together)
Tried to enter school - was prevented from entering school by National Guard
Tried to flee to the Bus - angry mob surrounded her and threatened to lynch her
Crying - two people (woman and man) helped her
2. What did President Eisenhower do to enforce the law in Little Rock?
Sent in the 101st Army Paratroopers
"federalized" the National Guard -out of hands of Governor
3. Where were the troops unable to protect the black students?
Lockerroom and bathroom
4. Why was Minnie Jean Brown expelled from Little Rock High School?
Suspended - dumped lunch tray with Chili over heads of two boys who had been taunting her
Expelled - called a girl who had been taunting her "White trash"
5. How did white students respond to the integration of Little Rock High School?
Some - protested and harassed to get the 9 to leave
Some - were ok with it (just something they weren't used to yet)
6. What happened to Little Rock High School the next year?
Closed so they wouldn't be forced to integrate
“Eyes on the Prize: The Sit-ins”
1. DEFINE: sit-in
one or more people non-violently occupying an area for protest
2. What did the students do to prepare for the sit-ins? What training did they have in non-violent direct action?
Nashville Christian Leadership Council ran workshops to show non-violence resistance - the "Dos" and "Don'ts" like be friendly, smile, sit straight, don't strike back]
3. How did whites respond to the sit-ins?
At first - no real effect ("They can just sit there - it is nothing to me")
Then when more and more waves of protestors came - put signs up in windows "No Trespassing"
4. What were the students convicted of?
Disorderly conduct
5. What did the larger black community do to support the students?
Sent more and more to sit-ins and boycotted (refused to buy from) the national chain stores (hurt stores economically)
6. Were the sit-ins successful in desegregating the city’s lunch counters? YES / NO YES
“Eyes on the Prize: Birmingham, 1963”
1. Who was Eugene “Bull” Connor?
Birmingham's Commissioner on Public Safety - very Pro-segregation - encouraged violence towards Freedom Riders (15-20 minutes before police would take action)
2. Why did MLK write the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”? What was its purpose?
Open letter - wrote in response to a statement made by 8 white Al. clergymen - he was a troublemaker
3. How did activists’ decision to get children involved help the cause?
No economic threat to family (adults responsible for paying bills)
Young people had same effect - show that fight will be carried on by the next generation
children ages 6-18 years old
4. Connor’s response to protests (arrests and other tactics)
No space in jails so...
Brought in firefighters - ordered them to turn on the hoses on the protestors (pressure of water enough to break bones)
K-9 (dog) forces - attacked protestors
*Media covering event - the nation and world saw the horrors that were taking place - shocked
5. Were the protests and violence in Birmingham ultimately successful? YES / NO YES
6. 8 days after the protests started, the business community agreed to compromise, desegregating the downtown lunch
counters and agreeing to hire blacks. What was the KKK’s response to the compromise?
Violence - KKK meet outside of Birmingham - Grand Dragon said that Martin Luther Kings tombstone would be written right here - bombed the motel MLK was staying at - no one there.
7. What was JFK’s response to the violence in Birmingham?
At first - kept low profile - didn't want to go too far to one side or another
Televised address - asking for support of a strong Civil Rights Bill
8. March on Washington (August 28, 1963)
a. What was the purpose of the March on Washington?
Called for Civil and economic rights for African-AMericans
Theme "Jobs and Freedom"
"I have a Dream Speech" MLK Jr. delievered there
9. What happened at the 16th Street Baptist Church (in Birmingham) 18 days later?
Bombing - 4 children died and between 15-23 injured
10. How did SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) respond to the bombing?
Shocked them to the core - outrage and anger - wondered how will be overcome this?
“Eyes on the Prize: Power and the Vote”
1. Freedom Summer (Summer of 1964)
a. What was the goal?
Register to vote African Americans who were denied based on unfair and discriminatory measures
b. Who participated?
SNCC and CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) and student volunteers
2. What happened to Andrew Goodman (White - NY), Michael Schwerner (White - NY), James Chaney (African American - Miss) in June 1964?
3 Civil Rights Workers who disappeared after they were released from jail and were murdered in Mississippi (found buried in an earthen dam)
a. What impact did the disappearance/murders of the 3 civil rights workers have on other volunteers/activists?
Brought 100s of college-age volunteers - became national news (greater media coverage) - horrified American public
3. What programs did the volunteers set up when they arrived in Mississippi in July 1964?
Freedom Schools - taught literacy
Public Health Programs
4. What did the newly signed Civil Rights Act of 1964 do?
Outlawed discrimination based on racial, ethnicity, national and religious minorities, and women)
Ended segregation in schools, workplace, and facilities (whites-only - NO MORE)
a. What did the Civil Rights Act NOT cover?
Voting
5. At the August 7th funeral in Meridian, Mississippi, a CORE worker spoke passionately about what he called the
“living dead” – what or who does this refer to?
Those who don't care - Those who care and don't do anything(don't have the guts) - Politicians in Washington D.C. who play politics with civil rights
6. Was anyone ever brought to trial and/or convicted for the murder of the 3 civil rights workers? YES / NO NO
a. The sentences ranged from ______years in prison to a fine. 3-10 years for Civil Rights Violations (others- NOT KILLERS)