Part 3 Assessment Questions and Prompts

Multiple Choice Question A

• ✅ C. She wanted the public to witness the brutality of racism
  Mamie Till-Mobley believed the world needed to see what had been done to her son. By insisting on an open casket, she used her personal tragedy to highlight the deep cruelty of racial violence in the U.S., helping to spark national outrage and activism.
• ❌ A. She believed in traditional Southern customs
  This is incorrect. Mamie Till-Mobley was from Chicago, and her decision was not based on tradition, but rather on a deliberate political and emotional impact.
• ❌ B. She wanted to protect her son's image
  In fact, the open casket exposed Emmett’s brutalized body, which was the opposite of preserving his image. Her goal was to show the horror of what racism had done.
• ❌ D. She hoped to prevent a second autopsy
  There’s no evidence she was concerned about a second autopsy. The decision was meant to generate awareness and action.

Multiple Choice Question B

• ✅ B. Admitted to the murder in a magazine interview
  After being acquitted, Bryant and Milam confessed to Look magazine in 1956, knowing they couldn’t be tried again due to double jeopardy. They described how and why they killed Emmett Till, and showed no remorse.
• ❌ A. Left the country to avoid prosecution
  This is false. They remained in the U.S. and even publicly profited from their story, showing no fear of legal consequences.
• ❌ C. Apologized publicly to Mamie Till-Mobley
  There is no record of an apology. In fact, they remained defiant and justified their actions in the interview.
• ❌ D. Were retried in federal court
  This is incorrect. Because they were found not guilty in a state trial, they could not be tried again for the same crime under U.S. law at that time.

1. Why the correct answer is correct, and
2. Why each distractor (incorrect answer) is incorrect.

Question A

• ✅ C. She wanted the public to witness the brutality of racism
  Correct — Mamie Till-Mobley chose an open casket so the world could see the horrific violence done to her son. She wanted to expose the cruelty of racial hatred in the South and force the public to confront what racism looked like. This act turned personal grief into political action, fueling civil rights momentum.
• ❌ A. She believed in traditional Southern customs
  Incorrect — This is factually inaccurate. Mamie Till-Mobley was from Chicago, not the South. Her decision wasn’t based on regional or religious tradition, but on a deliberate strategy to use visual evidence to expose racial violence.
• ❌ B. She wanted to protect her son's image
  Incorrect — An open casket showing his mutilated body was not meant to “protect” Emmett’s image, but rather to shock the conscience of the nation. This choice exposed the truth, not shielded it.
• ❌ D. She hoped to prevent a second autopsy
  Incorrect — There is no indication that she was concerned about a second autopsy. Her primary concern was that the world would not look away from what had happened. This option adds false information not supported by the article.

Question B

• ✅ B. Admitted to the murder in a magazine interview
  Correct — After being acquitted, Bryant and Milam sold their story to Look magazine. They admitted they had murdered Emmett Till and even explained why they did it. Because of the legal principle of double jeopardy, they couldn’t be tried again for the same crime, even after their confession.
• ❌ A. Left the country to avoid prosecution
  Incorrect — Neither man fled the U.S. after the trial. Instead, they remained and publicly told their story. There was no legal threat to them due to the not-guilty verdict and protection under double jeopardy.
• ❌ C. Apologized publicly to Mamie Till-Mobley
  Incorrect — The article explicitly notes that they showed no remorse. In fact, they defended their actions and even framed them as necessary, showing no empathy for Mamie Till or regret for killing her son.
• ❌ D. Were retried in federal court
  Incorrect — They were never retried. The Constitution’s protection against double jeopardy (being tried twice for the same offense) prevented another trial, even after their confession.