We continued our examination of the
U.S. Civil Rights Movement in class today. I will post the PowerPoint presentation that I started in class last week on the wiki today. Your
Civil Rights Movement Research Assignment is due tomorrow. We started watching
Eyes on the Prize today in class, specifically
Episode 1: "Awakenings" (1954-1956) which focused in on the
murder of Emmett Till and the
Montgomery Bus Boycott. On the timeline that is on the video study guide for this episode it also mentions the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, however, the makers of Eyes on the Prize focus in on Emmett Till's murder, and the short public trial of his murderers. You can see Till's murder as a pivotal event in the Civil Rights Movement, and the open casket funeral of Emmett Till and the publication of the photos as a catalyst for change in America's attitudes. Mississippi, where Till's murder took place gained national notoriety as a hotbed for white supremacy as well. If you are interested in the Till case you might want to do a little investigation of your own into the impact that the murder had on popular culture. Numerous songs, plays, poems, novels, TV shows and movies have drawn inspiration from the murder of Emmett Till and the court case. You may see parallels between the Till case and Harper Lee's novel
To Kill a Mockingbird (one of my personal favorites) to the TV show
In the Heat of the Night (it was previously a movie too), to the Bob Dylan song "The Death of Emmett Till". With the Montgomery Bus Boycott segment of the episode you saw the emergence of Martin Luther King on the national stage. We'll be exploring his role and leadership in the movement in the days to come.
Most of today's class was spent writing your Unit 5 Exam.
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