History cat freedom summer draft and raw info etc

This task is to be completed in pairs. You will research one of the Civil rights events from the list
below and deliver an oral presentation with slides to the class on this topic.

Group Member 1: (5 MINUTES)

 Background/context: You should lay the groundwork, explaining the background,

environment (political/economic) or context in which the event takes place. Include and
analyse ONE primary source about the background/context.
 Actual event: You are then to discuss the details of the specific event. What was it? How did
it unfold? Who was involved? Where did it take place and when? Include and analyse ONE
primary source about the actual event
 You will therefore be analysing TWO primary sources during your speech.

Group Member 2: (5 MINUTES)

 Short and long term impacts: Your presentation will deal with repercussions and impacts,
both short and long term. You will be describing how this event contributed to and flowed
into the following decade; how it may have contributed to later events - either later in the
same decade or into the next, depending on when it takes place (e.g. Years 0-4 or 5-9).
Include and analyse ONE primary source about the long and short term impacts.
 Significant individual: You will also provide detailed information on a significant individual
who participated or played a role in this event. Include and analyse ONE primary source
about your significant individual.
 You will therefore be analysing TWO primary sources during your speech.

Final points to consider.

 Remember that each group member is ultimately graded individually. Thus you should
ensure that each component runs for the same length of time and constitutes the same
amount of invested work.
 You are permitted to use cue cards but you are not to read your speech. You need to KNOW
your content!
 Be mindful that, in addition to the important oral component of your presentation, this task
requires you to produce a series of slides. These should include a cover slide with your topic,
two slides, each with one of your two primary sources and a final slide with your
bibliography of all printed and internet material.

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens,

Today, I stand before you to shed light on a pivotal moment in the history of the United States—the
remarkable movement known as Freedom Summer. This campaign, which unfolded during the
summer of 1964, was a powerful demonstration of courage, resilience, and the unwavering pursuit
of justice in the face of immense adversity.

Primary source on background and context

Background/context

To understand the significance of Freedom Summer, we must first examine the context in which it
emerged. In the 1960s, racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans persisted in
the United States, particularly in the state of Mississippi. Before the Freedom Summer began in
1964, Mississippi faced numerous civil rights issues and was known for its severe racial segregation
and discrimination. Some of the key civil rights problems included racial segregation by means of
separate schools, facilities, and neighbourhoods. African American schools were nowhere near the
standard of white schools. were effectively denied their rights to vote through means of poll taxes,
literacy tests and complex registration requirements. The Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacists
often resorted to bombing, beating and murders to deter African Americans from seeking equality.
Furthermore they weren’t given the same job opportunities awarded to whites, and were subjected
to low wage labour. They were even denied access to higher education and skilled jobs, putting them
at risk of exploitation.

The story of Medgar Evers

Medgar Evers was a significant civil rights activist and the first secretary of the NAACP in Mississippi.

On June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers arrived home after midnight following a series of events organized
by the NAACP. He carried a few t-shirts with the words "Jim Crow Must Go." As he stepped out of his
car, he was shot in the back. His wife and children, who had been waiting for him, discovered him
critically wounded on the doorstep. Myrlie Evers, recalling the heartbreaking moment, said, "I
opened the door, and there was Medgar at the steps, face down in blood." The children rushed out,
urging their father to get up.

Despite efforts by the police, including violent beatings and other coercive tactics, the thousands of
black mourners at Evers' funeral in Jackson remained deeply enraged. Evers passed away at the
hospital approximately fifty minutes after the shooting.

The governor of Mississippi and several all-white newspapers offered rewards in hopes of obtaining
information about the person responsible for Medgar Evers' murder. However, very few people
came forward with any relevant information. Nevertheless, an investigation conducted by the FBI
revealed a suspect named Byron de la Beckwith. He was known for his strong opposition to
integration and was a founding member of Mississippi's White Citizens Council. A gun, with
Beckwith's fingerprint on it, was discovered approximately 150 feet away from the shooting location.
Several witnesses placed Beckwith in Evers' neighborhood on the night of the incident. However,
Beckwith denied shooting Evers and claimed that his gun had been stolen a few days prior to the
event.

It was against this backdrop that several civil rights organizations, including the Congress of Racial
Equality (CORE), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the National
Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), joined forces to organize Freedom
Summer. They based the campaign in Mississippi, due to the high level of racial segregation and
discrimination in the area, with a primary objective to combat voter suppression by registering
African American voters and establishing Freedom Schools to educate and empower the community.

The primary goal of Freedom Summer was to address the disenfranchisement of African Americans
in Mississippi.

By 1964, people had started planning for the Freedom Summer project. In June, the campaign had
officially begun with hundreds of volunteers arriving in Mississippi, with goals to register African
Americans as voters, and more education for blacks. The director of the project, Robert “Bob” Moses
had committed his team to “nonviolence in all situations”, but no one could have Predicted how dire
the situation would get. On that day, two white Students from New York-Andrew Goodman and
Michael Schwerner, and James Chaney, a Black guy from the area, were among the volunteers that
went. The three disappeared after travelling to Philadelphia, Mississippi, to investigate a church fire.
As the hunt for their attackers began, their names spread across the nation. Shocked but persistent,
the Mississippi Project's staff and supporters continued their efforts to register voters and build a
grassroots freedom movement (organised group movement to influence a political issue) after their
departure.

The missing volunteers' battered remains were found six weeks later; they had been killed by a Ku
Klux Klan lynch mob with the help of a local police officer. The Ku Klux Klan was a white supremacist
organization that emerged after the American Civil War with the goal of opposing civil rights for
African Americans and enforcing racial segregation through acts of violence, terrorism, and
intimidation.

These killings caused much public outrage and raised questions like “Where was the federal
government’s protection?”.

As more people were killed, the public's fury mounted. Where was the federal government's
protection? Why were things moving too slowly? Between white volunteers and Black personnel,
mistrust increased. Tragically, this campaign of hope and progress was marred by the brutal murder
of three dedicated activists—James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner. These
courageous individuals paid the ultimate price for their commitment to justice. Their sacrifice
became a rallying cry, igniting national outrage and highlighting the urgent need for change.