Freedom Summer facts for kids

Freedom Summer, also known as the Freedom Summer Project, was a special effort in the United States during the summer of 1964. Many volunteers came to Mississippi to help African Americans register to vote. For a long time, Black people in Mississippi were stopped from voting by unfair rules.

The project also created "Freedom Schools," "Freedom Houses," and community centers. These places helped local Black communities in small towns across Mississippi.

The Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) organized Freedom Summer. COFO was a group of major civil rights organizations. These included the SNCC, CORE, NAACP, and SCLC. Most of the ideas and money for the project came from SNCC. Bob Moses, a leader from SNCC and COFO, led the summer project.

Freedom Vote: A Practice Election

Freedom Summer built on years of hard work by thousands of African Americans in Mississippi. These people were often connected through their churches. In 1963, SNCC held a practice election called the "Freedom Vote." This was to show that Black people in Mississippi wanted to vote, even with threats and unfair rules.

At that time, registering to vote in Mississippi was very hard for Black people. They had to fill out a long form and answer a tough question about the state constitution. White officials often failed Black applicants, stopping them from registering.

For the "Freedom Vote," volunteers set up voting places in Black churches and businesses. People registered using a simple form. Then, they voted for candidates who would run in the next year's real election. Thousands of people voted in this practice election.

Planning for Freedom Summer

By 1964, students and others were working to end segregation in public places. They also helped adults register to vote. Most importantly, they strengthened local Black leadership. Building on the 1963 "Freedom Vote," planning for Freedom Summer began in February 1964.

Leaders like Bob Moses convinced others that the project was important. They recruited volunteers from colleges across the country. Recruiters told volunteers their job was to work with local leaders. They were not there to "save" anyone, but to help a movement grow from the ground up.

More than 1,000 volunteers from outside Mississippi joined the project. Thousands of Black Mississippians also took part. Most volunteers were white students from good universities in the North and West. They were often from bigger cities. Organizers wanted more white volunteers to draw national attention to the problems in Mississippi.

Two training sessions for volunteers were held in Oxford, Ohio. These sessions taught volunteers what to expect and how to help. Organizers chose Mississippi because it had the lowest number of registered Black voters. Black people made up more than one-third of the state's population. In 1962, only 6.7% of eligible Black voters were registered.

Southern states had made it very hard for African Americans to vote since the late 1800s. They used things like poll taxes (fees to vote) and literacy tests. White officials often used these tests unfairly to stop Black people from registering. They also made residency rules harder and kept detailed records. These rules also kept Black people off juries and led to Jim Crow laws that segregated public places.

Even when some unfair methods were stopped by courts, states found new ways to prevent Black people from voting. Sometimes, people who tried to vote faced economic harm or physical harm.

Support for the Project

During the ten weeks of Freedom Summer, many groups helped the COFO project.

• The Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) sent over 100 volunteer doctors, nurses, and other medical staff. They gave emergency care, taught health classes, and worked to improve Mississippi's segregated health system.
• Volunteer lawyers from groups like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the National Lawyers Guild gave free legal help. They handled arrests, free speech issues, and voter registration problems.
• The Commission on Religion and Race (CORR) brought Christian and Jewish clergy and students to Mississippi. They supported volunteers, joined voting rights protests, helped people register, and taught in Freedom Schools.

Facing Violence and Opposition

Many white residents in Mississippi did not like the outsiders or any changes to their society. Volunteers often faced harassment. Newspapers called them names. People would drive by and shoot at homes where volunteers stayed. They also threw firebombs.

State and local governments, police, and groups like the Ku Klux Klan tried to stop the project. They used arrests, beatings, burning buildings, and even murder. They wanted to prevent Black people from registering to vote or gaining equal rights.

During the ten-week project:

• Over 1,000 people were arrested, including volunteers and local residents.
• 80 Freedom Summer workers were beaten.
• 37 churches were bombed or burned.
• 30 Black homes or businesses were bombed or burned.
• 4 civil rights workers were killed.
• At least 3 Black Mississippians were murdered for supporting the Civil Rights Movement.

The Murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner

A stained glass window honoring the three slain activists in Sage Chapel, Cornell University.

Violence started almost immediately. On June 21, 1964, three civil rights workers disappeared. They were James Chaney (a Black activist from Mississippi), Andrew Goodman (a summer volunteer), and Michael Schwerner (an organizer). They had been arrested by a local deputy sheriff who was also a Ku Klux Klan member. After being released from jail, they were ambushed and killed by Klansmen.

Their disappearance was reported on TV and in newspapers across the country. This shocking event brought a lot of media attention to Freedom Summer. It also showed the nation how closed off Mississippi society was.

The FBI started searching for the men. After weeks, their bodies were found buried in an earthen dam on August 4, 1964. During the search, the bodies of eight other Black people were also found. These people appeared to have been murdered. Some had been missing for a while, and their families could not get local police to investigate.

Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party

Black people were blocked from joining the regular Mississippi Democratic Party because of segregation. So, COFO created the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). This new party welcomed everyone. The MFDP wanted the national Democratic Party to recognize them as the true party in Mississippi. They elected delegates to go to the Democratic national convention that year.

President Lyndon B. Johnson had just helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He feared losing support from Southern states if the MFDP replaced the regular party. So, the MFDP was not allowed to take the place of the regular delegates. However, the national press widely covered the issue of political unfairness in Mississippi.

Freedom Schools: Learning for Change

Besides voter registration and the MFDP, Freedom Summer also set up "Freedom Schools." These were voluntary summer schools, proposed by SNCC member Charlie Cobb. They offered an alternative to Mississippi's segregated and underfunded schools for Black children.

Over 3,500 students attended Freedom Schools that summer. They learned subjects that public schools avoided. These included Black history and constitutional rights. Freedom Schools were held in churches, on porches, and under trees. Students ranged from young children to older adults. Most teachers were college students.

The goal was to teach reading, math, and political organizing skills. They also aimed to build confidence. The lessons were directly connected to the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Teachers and students worked closely together and trusted each other. Many teachers felt that the experience changed them deeply.

Freedom Libraries and Houses

About fifty Freedom libraries were also created. These libraries offered books and reading help to many African Americans. Some had never had access to a library before. These libraries varied in size and were run by volunteers.

Local Black families bravely housed the volunteers, despite threats. When there were too many volunteers for private homes, they stayed in "Freedom Houses." These houses became places where people from different backgrounds could live together. They were seen as symbols of personal and political change.

After Freedom Summer

Freedom Summer did not register a huge number of voters right away. But it had a big impact on the Civil Rights Movement. It helped break down the isolation and unfairness of the Jim Crow laws. Before Freedom Summer, national news often ignored the struggles of Black voters in the South. The events of that summer, especially the violence, grabbed national attention.

Some Black activists felt that the media only paid attention because white students from the North were involved. This caused some bitterness. Some also felt that the white students were sometimes bossy or acted like they knew better than local people.

Many volunteers said that Freedom Summer was a life-changing experience. They saw how unfair American society and even federal agencies like the FBI could be. Most volunteers became more involved in politics after the summer. They wanted to continue fighting for change.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed by Congress the next year. This law helped make sure that Black people could register and vote. Mississippi's government tried to make new laws to weaken Black votes. But over time, Black voting became a reality in Mississippi. By the 1980s and 1990s, Mississippi had more Black elected officials than any other state.

Justice for the Murders

Mississippi state officials did not charge anyone for the 1964 murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner. But the FBI kept investigating. In 1967, seven men, including a Ku Klux Klan leader, were found guilty of federal crimes related to the murders. This was the first time since the Reconstruction era that white men were convicted of civil rights violations against Black people in Mississippi.

Years later, in 2005, the state of Mississippi reopened the case. Thanks to investigative reporting and the work of a high school teacher and his students, Edgar Ray Killen was charged with murder. He was a former Ku Klux Klan recruiter. On June 21, 2005, the 41st anniversary of the crime, Killen was found guilty of three counts of manslaughter. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison.

Images for kids

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  Mt. Zion Church state history marker near Philadelphia, Mississippi