Brief Summary Of Freedom Summer By Bruce Watson

Freedom Summer, by author Bruce Watson examines the courageous and passionate efforts of roughly 100 predominantly white college students as well as several local black Mississippi residents who stood up for change and equality while pushing the limit of uncertain futures. The book discusses the journey these students encountered in order to reach their aim of voter equality and opportunity for blacks in the south. The objective of these students was to create a voter registration system in the heart of segregated and unjust Mississippi. In 1964, they did just that. This “Mississippi Project” as it was sometimes called was run by local civil rights group council in the state known as the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO). Along with

During this time, lynching was a common occurrence in the south as well as threats from racist organizations such as the Klu Klux Klan that threatened anyone who entered the south to help African Americans vote. As Bruce Watson wrote: “Violence and murders including the lynching of close to five hundred Mississippi negroes was more than any other state in the country. Lynching went without punishment, murder was deemed as self-defense and many small towns had road signs that read: nigger don’t let the sun come down on you here. The whites who disapproved of these acts learned to keep their mouth sealed. Criticism of Jim Crow laws in the south became betrayal to be dealt with by making criticism so dangerous that only a crazy man would risk it (74).” In the summer of 1964, the first couple hundred volunteers arrived in Mississippi. A couple days after this event two of the white student civil right volunteers from New York (Michael Schwerner & Andrew Goodman) as well a local African American (James Chaney)

This was the first time many Americans opened their eyes to the lynching and killings of African Americans in the south, even though it was happening for years before Freedom Summer without any governmental regulation. Freedom Summer raised the realization of millions of Americans that change was needed. Many were furious in the lack of government involvement in assuring the volunteers were safe from threats and violence, and the corruption by police in the south. Americans pressured the federal government and politicians that this was unacceptable. This was very important to the civil rights movement because now not only were African Americans who were unregistered encouraged to vote, but the oppression and persecution of black voters in the south brought to the attention of the national media. This helped push for additional civil right movements across the south because not only were volunteers coming back, but now there were new volunteers due to the attention from the media to help give to the