Introduction Paragraphs Hook Your Reader

Introduction Paragraph Civil Rights Research Paper

Introduction Paragraph Hook Link/transition Roadmap (optional) Thesis: Ex. The death of Emmett Till sparked the Civil Rights Movement because the published pictures on his mutilated corpse and the confession of the acquitted murderers united many to end the injustice in the South

The Introduction The introduction has a “hook or grabber” to catch the reader’s attention. Some “grabbers” include opening with a: Strong statement/headline Quotation Anecdote/story Statistic/fact Rhetorical question Dialogue/conversation imagery/set the scene mystery

Quote “I thought of Emmett Till, and when the bus driver ordered me to move to the back, I just couldn’t move.” Rosa Parks. The death of Emmett Till inspired many black people to speak out against segregation and started the civil rights movement.

Quote “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”Martin Luther King, Jr. Link: The civil rights movement proved love to be more powerful than hate. By use of nonviolent protests, such as the sit ins, the country embraced equality and justice. Add thesis.

Background The Civil Rights Movement brings many images to mind. Many recall Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, but few know of the tragic death of Emmett Till that sparked the civil rights movement. Till’s death and the publicity that followed helped unite people to end segregation in the South. (Add thesis)

Anecdote Emmett Till was a young black teenager who was brutally beaten and murdered  for saying, “bye baby!” to a white woman.   The death of Emmett Till was an important movement that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act 1964 which forbade discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin” (www.history.com).

Statistic or fact “There are "2805 [documented] victims of lynch mobs killed between 1882 and 1930 in ten southern states” Of these, 2500 were black(Umass.edu). The death of Emmett Till, a fourteen year old boy, sparked the beginning of the civil rights movement. Add thesis

Rhetorical question Could you imagine being a fourteen year old child, brutally beaten and shot in the head, body disfigured beyond recognition, for whistling at a white woman? Could you imagine your killers walking free, never facing consequences for what they did to you? This is the story of Emmett Till, a black youth in the era of Jim Crow and segregation. Such racial violence was normal, and discrimination against African-Americans an everyday nightmare. Yet this single lynching changed the course of history. The death of Emmett Till sparked the Civil Rights movement because the publication of pictures of his mutilated corpse and the confession of the acquitted murderers united many to end injustice.

Dialogue/conversation “Big Milam ordered Bobo ( Emmett Till) to pick up the fan. Milam: "Take off your clothes." Slowly, Bobo pulled off his shoes, his socks. He stood up, unbuttoned his shirt, dropped his pants, his shorts. He stood there naked. It was Sunday morning, a little before 7. Milam: "You still as good as I am?" Bobo/Till: "Yeah." Milam: "You still 'had' white women?" That big .45 jumped in Big Milam's hand. The youth turned to catch that big, expanding bullet at his right ear. He dropped. They barb-wired the gin fan to his neck, rolled him into 20 feet of water.”(Huie, Look Magazine) Link-Thesis

Background/anecdote Rosa Parks sparked the beginning of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. When she was arrested for not giving up her seat to a white man, the black community made the decision to boycott the buses. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was an important movement that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which forbade discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin” (www.history.com).

Examples of a link, bridge, or transition to thesis

Conclusion Paragraph (4 sentences) Restate thesis in an original way. Answers how or why this is true. Give advice, or a recommendation, or a universal application on the subject. Go full circle. Relates back to your introduction.