Mamie Till, the mother of Emmett Till and civil rights activist, believed that her son's murder was the last straw before public outrage over racial injustice spilled over into the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. A history lesson plan prompts class members to investigate this claim using a timeline and other sources before examining the value of memories with a project that memorializes Emmett Till.

Concepts

racism, jim crow laws, emmett till, the civil rights movement, hate crimes, lynching

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Use in a documentary film class and compare The Murder of Emmett Till to the other documentaries listed in the lesson
• Feature student memorials in a multi-purpose room for the rest of the school to see, either during Black History Month or a focus against discrimination

Classroom Considerations

• Lesson is based on the PBS documentary The Murder of Emmett Till
• The final part of a four-section unit on Emmett Till
• Requires three class periods to complete

Pros

• Provides several extension activities

Cons

• None