Mississippi Freedom Summers In The 1960's

Although slavery was declared over after the passing of the thirteenth amendment, African Americans were not being treated with the respect or equality they deserved. Socially, politically and economically, African American people were not being given equal opportunities as white people. They had certain laws directed at them, which held them back from being equal to their white peers. They also had certain requirements, making it difficult for many African Americans to participate in the opportunity to vote for government leaders. Although they were freed from slavery, there was still a long way to go for equality through America’s reconstruction plan.

The freedom summer not only got Mississippi African Americans the right to vote but their first real political voice. The film immerses the viewer in the landscape of Mississippi in 1964, it shows the political tension and the dangers faced by those surrounding the mission of the Freedom Summer. The beginning of the film sets the mood of Mississippi during the start of the civil rights movement. Stanley Nelson uses newsreels from Mississippi in the early sixties to demonstrate how deeply racism and discrimination were ingrained into political and social climate of the south.

Sweet Land of Liberty: The Forgotten Struggle for Civil Rights in the North by Thomas J. Sugrue is a comprehensive description of the civil rights movement in the North. Sugrue shows Northern African Americans who assembled against racial inequality, but were excluded from postwar affluence. Through fine detail and eloquent style, Sugrue has explained the growth and hardships integral in the struggles for liberties of black Americans in the North. The author explores the many civil rights victories—such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Act of 1965—but also takes the reader on a journey of many lesser known issues that occurred throughout states in the North and Mid-west United States. Sugrue illustrates the struggles of black

Hamer was an informal bridge leader for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. When activists Annelle Ponder and Septima Clark came to Mississippi to teach people about voting registration, Hamer’s attention was sparked. A few weeks later, Hamer and a few other citizen of Mississippi set off to Charleston, South Carolina to share what they learned. They planned on teaching classes on voter registration. The group consisted of John Brown, Bernard Washington, Euvester Simpson, June Johnson, Rosemary Freeman, James West, Annelle Ponder, and Hamer herself.

The causes of the American Civil Rights movement follow a tortuous, diverging path; the work of a plethora of individuals and institutions culminating to accomplish a task unprecedented in American History. One such contribution may be traced well before the initial start of the Civil Rights Movement to the birth of one significant site within it – Tuskegee, Alabama. Tuskegee was founded as one of many farming communities within Alabama; whites found a home under its hot sun and upon its fertile ground. These luxuries were complimented handsomely by the de facto laws of the land – laws that allowed whites to own plantations whose prosperity lay on the backs of suffering African Americans. As Booker T. Washington’s influence rose within Tuskegee,

Adapted from President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Voting Rights Address, he highlights the issue of voting equality for African Americans. He believes that this restriction against African Americans counters the ideals of the constitution. To support his argument, in great detail, Johnson describes the strenuous registration process African Americans must go through in order to vote. To convey strong urgency towards this issue, Johnson poses himself to be a regular American, to connect, and urge the audience to advocate for his cause. Combining all of these elements, Johnson provides a powerful and poignant argument that the audience can support.

Freedom Schools sprang up all around Mississippi educating children and adults on black history and the movement. The Freedom Summer of 1964 opened the nations eyes and brought an enormous amount of attention to the injustice, discrimination, violence, and brutality many African Americans faced in Mississippi. SNCC, CORE, and NAACP leaders headed Freedom Summer. They recruited hundreds of black and white college students from the North to work in Mississippi during the summer of 1964. Their main goal?

“Long, hot summers” of rioting arose and many supporters of the African American movement were assassinated. However, these movements that mused stay ingrained in America’s history and pave way for an issue that continues to be the center of

Sources Analysis Freedom During the Reconstruction era, the idea of freedom could have many different meanings. Everyday factors that we don't often think about today such as the color of our skin, where we were born, and whether or not we own land determined what limitations were placed on the ability to live our life to the fullest. To dig deeper into what freedom meant for different individuals during this time period, I analyzed three primary sources written by those who experienced this first hand. These included “Excerpts from The Black Codes of Mississippi” (1865), “Jourdan Anderson to his old master” (1865), and “Testimony on the Ku Klux Klan in Congressional Hearing” (1872).

Introduction Hook: I never knew that one day, one idea could have such a big impact. That one thing could change the history, set up the rest of the country to follow suit with this specific topic, and things that need a change in general. Background: Over 50 years ago, on March 7, 1965, now known as bloody Sunday, segregation was still prevalent. At the time it was not allowed for blacks to vote at the time.

The Civil Rights Movement promoted an ideology that hard work and sacrifice could mean the freedom of millions of people. An idea that scares many and inspires

In reference of the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project of 1964 there was so much violence and hatred. And only the strong and willing stayed even after the violence. The response in why people stayed was because they were close friends. Those who will stuck up with their friends no matter what.

Freedom. The importance of freedom is often forgotten as Americans live day by day taking this gift for granted. In this day and age, freedom seems as a “simple gift’ obtained by every American, but one forgets to think about those who were once unable to enjoy the freedoms one is promised daily. Back in the day, freedom seemed as nothing more than a dream to those of color. Everyday of a colored person’s life consisted of harassment and discrimination as no one cared to treat them as equals.

People always want to demand their essential rights from government’s restriction by passing new laws. There was a period when people demanded their rights in the 1900s. Within the United States, most African Americans’ rights were denied by state governments. Hence, in the 1960s, they took a stand on requiring their rights through the Civil Rights movement around the country. During this movement, the Voting Rights Act was significant and for the reason is that this act gave African Americans a chance to participate in US politics by their votes.

“Before Freedom Summer and the changes it jump-started, Mississippi was a place where a black body floating in a muddy river was as common as a snake.” (Pg. 10) Freedom Summer embodied the spirt of change; change that needed to take place, not in Mississippi alone, but in all of America! Blacks were terrorized and taught to “stay in their place” for far too long, which deprived them of actual life as America’s concerns focused on an “unbearable whiteness of being.” (Pg 5) Had Freedom Summer not have occurred, we would still be lost as a society focusing on color and differences rather than decency and brotherhood of all people.