55 American History Photos And The Incredible True Stories Behind Them

Emmett Till was just 14 years old when white men kidnapped, beat, and killed him in Money, Mississippi, on Aug. 28, 1955. The men were enraged by accusations that Till had accosted a white woman, Carolyn Bryant, who has since recanted her testimony.

Till's mother insisted on an open-casket funeral, and images of Till's disfigured body helped spark the American Civil Rights Movement.