Civil Rights Explosion

The Murder of Emmett Till            - August 1955

AA boy was mutilated and murdered at age 14 after being accussed of whistling at a white woman.

The murder was noted as one of the catalysts for the American Civil Rights Movement.

Main suspects admitted to the murder but were not charged.

Impact

- Press coverage - widespread shock and disapproval of Southern States

- Rosa Parks bus boycott only 4 months later

.

.

.

.

Montgomery Bus Boycott     - Dec 1955

Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white man - Was thrown off the bus and prosecuted.

Was an active member of the NAACP - making a political point

Jim Crow Laws stated that Blacks had their own seating and were not allowed to sit parallel to whites - she was in violation of this law.

On the 1st day of her trial the black community of Montgomery boycott public transport.

Lasted for 100 days - started to have an impact. Businesses wanted an end to the boycott.

Eventually desegregated the buses within the Montgomery bus company.

Significance

- First major…