A Racial War After World War II racial intolerance spread heavily throughout the nation. During the time of the 1950’s racial prejudice and discrimination took a toll on the United States’ political, social and economic success and progress Due to a series of events that later became known as the Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968), racial equality among the nation was established. However, the period leading up to this great success took much effort and sacrifice. Many opposed this idea of racial equality and took action in the hopes of depriving racial minorities of this form of freedom. Rioting, strikes and boycotts were used by black Americans. The consequences of these actions did however, prove to be brutal in most cases. These forms of punishment included arrests, lynchings, organized/random violence, and mob violence. An example of these extreme punishments is the case of Emmett Till. Although black Americans faced opposition in their hopes of receiving what they believed they deserved, many events helped immensely in their efforts to receive these freedom. Events such as the Little Rock Nine (1957) and the Freedom Riders (1961) were huge contributions to endeavor of black Americans. By combining these three events, an individual can begin to imagine the overall hardships that black Americans faced while fighting for their rights.
The source that has been chosen to represent the case of Emmett Till is from a view point that is very different than what will be presented later. This document is a letter that was sent on September eleventh 1955 to Mr. Gerald Chatham by J.S. Connelly, a white man who wanted to express his thoughts regarding the issue. Connelly begins by saying “the little nigger asked for it and got precisely what was coming to him” (Connelly 1). Connelly opposed the equality of all races and disagreed with the movement towards civil rights for all. In his letter, Connelly discourages any condolences that are given to Till’s mother and deems the NAACP as “unwise” to support Till’s case. Connelly defends the men’s actions by saying they are Mrs. Bryant’s born protectors, “those men deserve honor, not blame, for doing their duty” (Connelly 1). He sees the situation as the men’s right to have done what they did in order to keep her safe. “Justifiable homicide”, is what Connelly then describes the outcome (Connelly 1). He believes that if these men and men of the like are punished for doing what they “should” then it would strip white women of their safety from “the up-surging negroes” (Connelly 1).
This document serves as a basis for what a majority of white people thought about black people during this time. In the letter Connelly even refers to Till as a “little darky” – a derogatory name for black people (Connelly 1). As stated above, black Americans had to fight to one day receive equality and because of the brutality of this case, it served as a reminder to black people of how necessary their efforts were. The civil rights movement took the blood, sweat and tears of all who were involved and this document demonstrates how strenuous the journey of establishing equality was.
“She Walked Alone” is an excerpt from a memoir that was published in 1962 by Daisy Bates. This excerpt focuses on the Little Rock Nine, and event that took place in Arkansas on September third 1957. Specifically, Bates discusses a particular incident that happened to Elizabeth Eckford, one of the nine students. Before she begins describing Eckford’s experience she gives background knowledge regarding the event: “Arkansas’ segregationist Governor Orville Faubus declared that ‘blood will run in the streets if Negro pupils should attempt to enter Central High School’” (Bates 2). With that said, Faubus ordered 250 members of the National Guard to surround the school, who were supposed to keep the peace, but actually were there to keep the Little Rock Nine from entering the school (Bates 2). In this document Elizabeth Eckford, one of
