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Scottsboro Boys
The Scottsboro Boys were nine young African American men falsely accused of rape in 1931 and became a symbol of racial injustice in the American legal system. The case involved a train ride and subsequent arrest in Scottsboro, Alabama, leading to a series of trials and ultimately a significant impact on civil rights and legal precedent. -
The Murder of Emmitt Till
In August 1955, Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American teenager, was brutally murdered in Mississippi after allegedly whistling at a white woman, Carolyn Bryant, in a store. His death and the subsequent trial, which resulted in the acquittal of his killers, became a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement. -
The Little Rock 9
The Little Rock Nine were nine African American students who desegregated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957, facing significant resistance and harassment. Their courageous act, following the Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, challenged racial segregation in public schools. Despite facing violence and verbal abuse, the students persevered, with the help of federal troops, and Ernest Green became the first African American graduate of the school.