“Like Father—Like Son”
“Like Father—Like Son”
(October 1955–January 1956)
This chapter explores the attempts to establish parallels between Louis Till and his son, Emmett. It explains that in an investigation conducted by the U.S. Senate, it was discovered that Louis Till was executed after having been found guilty of raping two Italian women and murdering a third, during the Second World War. The discovery of the circumstances of Louis Till’s death was used to justify the claims of Virgil Adams, and confirm the fears of white Mississippians: Emmett Till had attempted to rape Carolyn Bryant. The narrative provided Mississippians with something of a “like-father-like-son” reasoning, giving a retroactive interpretation of Emmett’s actions.
Keywords: Louis Till, Emmett Till, Virgil Adams, rape, Senate, retroactive interpretation
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