Introduction In 1964, Byron De La Beckwith, a white man, stood trial accused in the murder of black Civil Rights leader Medgar Evers in Jackson, Mississippi. Evers was the thirty-seven year old Field Secretary for the NAACP; Beckwith was a member of the White Citizens Chapter of Greenwood, Mississippi. Although the case drew national attention at a time when the country was torn apart by racial strife, two different all-white juries were unable to reach a unanimous decision and both trials resulted
Evers and the trials of Byron De La Beckwith are prime examples of extreme discrimination and racism that went on in the south during the 1950s and the 1960s. Medgar Evers was an activist for African American civil- rights. Evers helped to bring national attention to the struggle of African Americans in the south. Evers ended up paying the ultimate price for his commitment to African American civil- rights when he was murdered in his own front yard by Byron De La Beckwith. The trials following the
Mississippi (1996) is a court trial movie that was released in 1996 and its setting is in Mississippi during the early 1960's. This movie is directed by Rob Reiner and produced by Castle Rock. This film is created on a true story. It relates to Byron De La Beckwith’s final trial, a white supremacist who is alleged to have shot and killed Medgar Evers- a civil rights activist. According to Smith, “race relations during the 1960’s were an area with potential for violence even though a lot of black leaders
The Assassination of Medgar Evers “You can kill a man but you can’t kill an idea” said by Medgar Evers. This quote means that even if a person dies, their legacy will still live on.The Civil Rights Movement was a “mass protest movement against racial segregation” in the United States, mostly in the south from 1954 to 1968(Lynch). It involved nonviolent protests and was an improvement in equal rights for African Americans. Many civil rights activists were assassinated by white supremacists during
field secretary of the NAACP in Mississippi. Unfortunately, (LY) on the night of June 12, 1963, he was shot to death by Byron De La Beckwith, who (W-W) later escaped (SV) conviction. (www.biography.com) Support for the legislation increased because (BC) the nation was outraged by Byron´s acquittal. For this reason, I feel Madgar Eversmy is a Civil Rights Leader. Although (CL) Byron was acquitted, he was later convicted and imprisoned on newfound (QA)
Evers and his family. His whole family became a target for many people who were in opposition to racial justice and integration. In May of 1963, their house was firebombed. In June of the same year, Medgar Wiley Evers was shot in the back by Byron De La Beckwith, a white segregationist, in the driveway of his house in Jackson, Mississippi. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he passed away not even an hour later. National outrage broke out after his death, which ended up increasing support for
fought one another (Fant 7). Also, the Choctaw Indians had a culture of crushing the heads of young children (Fant 10). In return, the children’s heads became flat. European explorer Hernando de Soto discovered Mississippi in 1540 during the winter time (“Mississippi”). Because he could not find gold or silver, de Soto left Mississippi and went somewhere else to look for gold (“Mississippi”). One hundred and fifty-nine years later, Pierre le Moyne d’Iberville claimed part of the Mississippi Valley for
The 32nd President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, once said, “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” This has stood true for thousands of years. Though humans have not always been the most kind and accepting creatures. Humans have discriminated against those different than themselves and their perception of normal countless times. The antipathy people of color and women were regarded with before the huge
Medger Evers Prejudice is an unfavorable opinion or feeling, formed beforehand (e.g., before even meeting a person) based on non-personal characteristics (e.g., skin color, religious, gender). One form of prejudice is racism. Racism is negative attitudes and values held by people about other people based on their race. It is this attitude which causes one to discriminate against another. Discrimination is treating people unfavorably on the basis of race, color or sex. Prejudice and discrimination
The NAACP means National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. It was formed on February 12, 1909 in New York. A group of black people formed it when a group of white citizens wanted to have social justice. There was an issue called the “Call”. It was a collection of 60 signatures. They had a few famous black people at their meeting, such as Ida B. Wells, W.E.B DuBois, Henry Moscowitz, Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison Villiard, and William English Walling. They all led the “Call”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for millions of Americans is an iconic portrayal when discussing civil rights and American democracy. His determination to change segregation through creative and savvy ways to reach the public led to his stardom. However, there were many others who helped during the civil rights era who do not get nearly as much praise as MLK Jr. Medgar Evers, James Meredith, A Philip Randolph, Jesse Jackson are a few gentlemen that rarely received the magnitude of media focus, popularity