Key Documents from the 1964 Freedom Summer Project
Below are brief descriptions and links to key documents from the Freedom Summer Project, a nonviolent effort by civil rights activists to integrate Mississippi's segregated political system during 1964.
These records were created from late 1963 through early 1965 by staff of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), local black residents, northern white volunteers, and segregationist opponents of the project.
Scroll this page to see 15 topics that link to approximately 78 documents.
Freedom Summer Background Documents
![Exterior view of the segregated entrance for African-Americans at Malco Theater.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1344.jpg)
Colored Entrance at Malco Theater, 1953
Memphis, Tennessee. In southern states, a closed society was enforced by laws created by white supremacists. The laws stipulated that African Americans would enter stores through separate entrances as a sign of being treated as a lower class of citizens. View the original source document: WHI 83204
SNCC Mississippi Project, August 1963
(3 pages) Internal memo by Bob Moses proposing a large-scale voter registration project in Mississippi; starts by reviewing earlier work there and describing the oppositionThe General Condition of the Mississippi Negro, October 1963
(20 pages) Pamphlet prepared by SNCC to educate Freedom Vote field workersUnit VII: The Movement
(16 pages) History of the Civil Rights Movement up to 1964, used in Freedom SchoolsOutline of Mississippi Project Areas
(6 pages) Summary of the political situation in each county, arranged by Congressional district
Nonviolence
![Diary page on non-violence training.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1310.jpg)
Diary Page: Nonviolence Training, 1964
Richard Gould, a COFO volunteer in Vicksburg, Mississippi, describes the stress on nonviolence during Freedom Summer trainings. View the original source document: Richard N. Gould Papers, 1963-1965
SNCC Statement of Purpose, 1960
(1 page) This statement was adopted in Raleigh, North Carolina, on April 17, 1960, and published in the first issue of SNCC's newsletter, "The Student Voice." It expresses the concept of nonviolence that characterized SNCC's civil rights work, including the Mississippi Summer Project of 1964.Nonviolence
(1 page) An introduction to nonviolence, probably used during volunteer orientation in June 1964How Volunteers Were Taught Nonviolence, June 1964
(2 pages) Handwritten notes by Richard Gould, a volunteer from CaliforniaCase Study: Statements of Discipline of Nonviolent Movements
(2 pages) A summary of how nonviolence was used by SNCC and CORE in the early 1960sReadings in Nonviolence
(8 pages) An anthology used during volunteer orientation. It includes excerpts from Gandhi, King, Thoreau, James Farmer, Howard Zinn, and others
Preparations for the Project, Spring 1964
![Document outlining Freedom Summer project.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1311.jpg)
News Release: Mississippi Summer Project Launched, 1964
Jackson, Mississippi. Portion of a press release announcing the start of the Freedom Summer Project. View the original source document: Howard Zinn Papers, 1956-1994
Mississippi Summer Project Launched, March 30, 1964
(1 page) Press release detailing plans for the summerMississippi Freedom Summer, Spring 1964
(6 pages) COFO brochure addressed to Mississippi residents on how they can help the Summer Project effortMississippi Freedom Project, Spring 1964
(8 pages) SNCC fundraising brochure addressed to Northern supportersDear Friend [Inviting Volunteers], Late March 1964
(1 page) Mimeographed letter from Bob Moses outlining plans and inviting applicantsTo Mississippi Summer Project Interviewers, April 14, 1964
(3 pages) Guidelines instructing interviewers how to evaluate an applicant's ability to adjust to the movement's conditionsMemorandum To All Project Leaders, Field Staff and Volunteers
(6 pages) Undated memo detailing everything expected from local project offices
Volunteer Training, June 15-28, 1964
![Document describing how to stay safe during the project.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1312.jpg)
Security Handbook, 1964
This page describes guidelines for volunteer safety and security during the Freedom Summer Project. View the original source document: Robert Gabriner Papers 1961-1981
Memo to Accepted Applicants
(2 pages, undated) Memo from Bob Moses providing basic information to accepted volunteersSecurity Handbook
(3 pages) Mimeographed guidelines about dangers for volunteersIf You Are Arrested in Mississippi
(7 pages) Pamphlet outlining the legal rights of people arrestedPossible Role Playing Situations
(1 page) Handout of scenarios that volunteers might encounterMississippi Summer Project Workers in State as of June 29, 1964
(13 pages) List of more than 520 staff and volunteers working in the state of Mississippi as of June 29, 1964. List includes each worker's location and duty
White Supremacist Viewpoint
![Newspaper advertisement about maintaining segregation.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1308.jpg)
'What Have I Personally Done to Maintain Segregation?' 1963
Selma, Alabama. A full-page advertisement from a white citizens council supporting racial segregation. View the original source document: Ella Baker papers, 1959-1965
Ask Yourself This Important Question: 'What Have I Personally Done to Maintain Segregation?'
(1 page) A full-page advertisement in the Selma Times-Journal, June 9, 1963Racial Facts
(8 pages) Pamphlet, published in 1963 by the Jackson Citizens' Council, arguing that African-Americans are inherently inferior to whites and justifying segregationThe Citizens' Council: A History
(8 pages) Transcript of an address by Robert B. Patterson, Executive Secretary of the Association of Citizens' Councils of Mississippi, October 26, 1963The Klan Ledger, Early Autumn 1964
(4 pages) Newsletter issue containing the Ku Klux Klan's (KKK) assessment of the Mississippi Summer ProjectMississippi: Subversion of the Right to Vote
(18 pages) Pamphlet with long quotations from segregationist politicians
The Murders of Chaney, Goodman, Schwerner
![A nighttime rally on a boardwalk. Three people carry signs with portraits of missing project workers.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1349.jpg)
Nighttime Rally, 1964
Atlantic City, New Jersey. MFDP rally for the three murdered civil rights workers James Earl Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael 'Mickey' Schwerner. View the original source document: WHI 97967
WATS Line Reports for June 21-25, 1964
(6 pages) Wide Area Telephone Service (WATS) transcripts of calls placed to and from COFO's Jackson headquarters about three missing civil rights workers, Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael SchwernerThe Disappearance of Three Summer Project Workers (June 22, 1964)
(1 page) Memo from Bob Moses sharing the facts as then knownTo Parents of All Mississippi Summer Volunteers
(3 pages) Mimeographed letter asking parents to contact elected officialsCivil Rights: Grim Discovery in Mississippi, 1964
(1 page) Time magazine article from August 14, 1964, about the discovery of the bodies of slain civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael SchwernerIndictment of 18 Accused Murderers
(1 page) COFO press release, January 16, 1965 (misdated 64) announcing the indictment and the release of the men on bond
Local Black Residents
![An elderly black woman reading a pamphlet on her porch.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1328.jpg)
CORE Brochure on 'The Right to Vote,' 1962
Sumter, Mississippi. Photograph of a local resident by Bob Adelman used as one of many images in a CORE brochure. View the original source document: Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) Southern Regional Office Records, 1954-1966
Mission to Mississippi, May 1964
(3 pages) Account by Barbara Woodward of a volunteer group in Canton, Mississippi, in which she describes their host familiesLetter from Ruby Davis, 1964
(1 page) Handwritten letter briefly describing Hattiesburg orientation for Freedom Summer volunteers. Written by Ruby Davis, a black grandmother in Ruleville, Mississippi, to Evelyn Werner of Madison, WisconsinLetter from Ruby Davis, June 27, 1964
(2 pages) Handwritten letter describing volunteer setup for Freedom Schools across the state of Mississippi. Written by Ruby Davis, a black grandmother in Ruleville, Mississippi, to Evelyn Werner of Madison, WisconsinNegro Fired for Housing Rights Workers, July 1964
(1 page) SNCC press release from Ruleville, Mississippi, describing reprisals against a host familyDear Parents, July 3, 1964
(1 page) Letter from an unidentified volunteer describing how his host family and neighbors defend themselves from attacksDear Folks, July 28
(2 pages) Letter from volunteer William Hodes while in Greenwood, Mississippi, describing intimidation of the family with whom he is staying
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP)
![Black and white image of two election posters that say, 'Freedom Means Vote For Fanny Lou Hamer or Aaron Henry.'](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1314.jpg)
MFDP Political Posters, 1964
Mississippi. Campaign posters for Aaron Henry and Fannie Lou Hamer, two candidates for the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). View the original source document: WHI 97975
The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party
(26 pages) Mimeographed pamphlet detailing the origins of, goals for, and opposition to the MFDP, includes information on voting in Mississippi, the planned challenge to the DNC, etc.Three Basic Considerations
(3 pages) Memo detailing how delegates will be chosen and how the white-only delegation will be challenged at the Democratic National ConventionMississippi Freedom Candidates, April 12, 1964
(4 pages) COFO instruction sheet on the plan to run a parallel election, who the candidates are, and what they stand for
Freedom Schools
![A group of African American women sitting outside, listening to an African American speaker.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1341.jpg)
McComb Freedom School, 1964
McComb, Mississippi. A freedom school begins in the shadow of burned out freedom house. Over 30 students registered for classes the first day despite a series of shootings and bombings in the area. Originally published in the July 29, 1964 issue of the SNCC newsletter 'The Student Voice.' Source: Pamela P. Allen papers, 1967-1974
![Students at Freedom School meet outdoors for class during Freedom Summer.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1315.jpg)
Indianola Freedom School, 1964
Indianola, Mississippi. A Freedom School class meeting outdoors. View the original source document: WHI 61670
Cobb, Charlie: Some Notes on Education
(3 pages) Proposal for schools to develop leadership skills in young peopleOverview of the Freedom Schools, May 5, 1964
(3 pages) Memo to prospective teachersThe Setting Up of a Freedom School
(1 page) Instructions on how to set up a Freedom SchoolA Note to the Teacher on Curriculum
(14 pages) Guide with curriculum outline, lesson plans, and much moreSome Notes on Leading Discussions
(3 page) Guide on integrating real-world situations into the classroomProfiles of Typical Freedom Schools: Hattiesburg, Meridian, Holly Springs
(3 pages) Accounts of Freedom School activities in three Mississippi townsFreedom School Data, July 1964
(8 pages) Summary of statistics and activities through late July 1964A Resume of Activities at Freedom Schools, August 7, 1964
(2 pages) Concise summary of the activities at a number of Freedom SchoolsFusco, Liz: Freedom Schools in Mississippi, 1964
(7 pages) Reflection on the effect of the schools on the children's consciousnessHard, Sandra: Reflections of a White Volunteer, September 8, 1964
(2 pages) Summary by Sandra Hard of her summer as a Freedom School teacher
Voter Registration
![Cover of a pamphelt featuring a black-and-white photograph of a bald, middle-aged black man filling out a registration form in a courthouse.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1320.jpg)
COFO Freedom Registration Brochure, 1964
Pamphlet distributed by the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) providing information about the Freedom Registration program encouraging voter registration. View the original source document: Library Pamphlet Collection, Pam 09- 1191
Voter Registration Summer Prospects, Spring 1964
(2 pages) Summary intended for organizers and project directorsVoter Registration Figures
(1 page) Tables for each of the five Mississippi Congressional districts showing how many whites and blacks of voting age resided in each county, and how many were registered to voteVoter Registration Laws in Mississippi
(10 pages) History of laws since 1890, including examples of intimidation and harassmentTechniques for Fieldwork: Voter Registration
(2 pages) Manual for organizers and project staffOverview of the Community Centers, Spring 1964
(1 page) Summary of the role of Freedom Houses in the voter registration program
Intimidation and Violence
![Cover of pamphlet featuring a close-up black-and-white photograph of a helmeted officier in the Mississippi Highway Patrol.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1321.jpg)
A Chronology of Violence and Intimidation in Mississippi Since 1961, 1964
Pamphlet produced by SNCC. View the original source document: Library Pamphlet Collection, Pam 78- 3570
Minnis, Jack: A Chronology of Violence and Intimidation in Mississippi Since 1961
(19 pages) Illustrated pamphlet listing attacks on blacks and civil rights workersMississippi Readies Laws for Freedom Summer, April 30, 1964
(3 pages) Press release describing new laws designed to halt demonstrations, prohibit picketing, ban literature distribution, and impose other means of obstructing organizersRunning Summary of Incidents, June 16 through August 26, 1964
(26 pages) Pamphlet listing acts of intimidation and violence during the Freedom Summer ProjectCourthouse Arrests, Summer and Fall 1964
(22 pages) Compiled affidavits from people arrested while trying to register to votePartial List of Racial Murders in the South in the Last 2 Years, April 1963 through February 1965
(2 pages) Document detailing 33 murders of black residents and civil rights workers
Democratic National Convention Challenge, August 1964
![Cover of primer featuring a penned sketch of a group of African Americans marching with a Freedom Democratic Party banner.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1322.jpg)
Freedom Primer No. 1, 1964
Pamphlet describing the Convention Challenge at the Democratic National Convention and the Freedom Vote. View the original source document: Staughton and Alice Lynd Papers, 1938-2008
Plans for Action at National Democratic Convention, January 16, 1964
(5 pages) Memo recommending a challenge to the Mississippi delegation to the conventionTo COFO Staff and Community Leaders, Re: Convention Challenge, Spring 1964
(2 pages) Instructions on the work to be done prior to the April 26, 1964, general convention of the MFDPThe Convention Challenge
(5 pages) Explanation of why the MFDP didn't accept the compromises offered at the conventionStatement by Charles M. Sherrod, September 1964
(6 pages) Personal account of what happened behind the scenes in Atlantic City
Freedom Election, October 29-November 3, 1964
![Two female poll workers sit behind a table near a box with the words: "Freedom Vote" written on it.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1342.jpg)
Freedom Vote Poll Workers, 1964
Mississippi. Poll workers in a mock election designed to include African-Americans who were unable to register to vote at the time. View the original source document: WHI 97976
![Four small black-and-white portraits of the candidates with brief biographies below.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1340.jpg)
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party Candidates, 1964
Mississippi. Images and descriptions of the candidates Fannie Lou Hamer, Annie Devine, Aaron Henry, and Victoria Gray. Originally appeared in the October 28, 1964 issue of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) newsletter entitled 'The Student Voice.' Source: Hank Werner papers
Freedom Candidates, Mississippi, April 12, 1964
(4 pages) COFO instruction sheet on the plan to run a parallel election, who the candidates are, and what they stand forInstructions for the Freedom Vote and Regular Election, October 30 through November 2, 1964
(2 pages) Instructions from Lawrence Guyot on how to conduct the Freedom VoteFreedom Primer No. 1: The Convention Challenge and the Freedom Vote
(10 pages) Brochure explaining the connections between the two eventsFreedom Primer No. 2: The Freedom Vote and the Right to Vote
(10 pages) Brochure describing how the Freedom Vote advanced the cause of ensuring the right to vote was extended to all people, regardless of raceEvents in Mississippi November 1-2, 1964
(2 pages) List of violent incidents perpetrated during the Freedom VoteFreedom Democratic Party Vote Results, Fall 1964
(1 page) Table showing results county-by-county, and comparing MFDP candidates' totals to mainstream party candidates' totals
Mississippi Congressional Challenge, January 1965
![Cover of primer featuring a penned sketch of a group of African Americans walking up the steps of the U.S. Congress and House of Representatives.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1323.jpg)
Freedom Primer No. 3, 1964
This primer discusses the right to vote and the Congressional challenge. View the original source document: R. Hunter Morey Papers, 1962-1967
Congressional Challenge Fact Sheet
(1 page) Summary of MFDP's challenge to Congressmen elected in November, on the grounds that black residents had been denied their voting rightsFreedom Primer No. 3: The Right to Vote and the Congressional Challenge
(12 pages) Printed brochureReprisals Against MFDP Members, January 13, 1965
(1 pages) Summary listing reprisals against activists who protested the seating of the all-white Mississippi Congressional delegationThe Congressional Challenge Is Defeated, September 1965
(3 pages) Summary of the proceedings in which the House decided to seat the segregationist Mississippi representatives who won the November 1964 elections
Reflecting Back on Freedom Summer
![Three Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party candidates talking.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1348.jpg)
MFDP candidates: Victoria Gray, Annie Devine, Fannie Lou Hamer
View the original source document: MFDP Records 1962-1971
Rough Minutes of a Meeting Called by the National Council of Churches, September 18, 1964
(8 pages) Reflections by leaders -- Farmer, Young, Samstein, Lowenstein, Rauh, and others -- on Freedom Summer, what it achieved, and what should be done nextMoses, Robert: Speech at the National Guardian Dinner, November 24, 1964
(2 pages) Typed notes in which Moses denounces the failure of the federal government to prosecute murderers of the vounteers, the DNC to seat the MFDP, and Congress to oust the all-white Congressional delegationThe Mississippi Summer Project
(14 pages) Essay by a volunteer (unsigned, and apparently unfinished) with many stories, specific detail about what was accomplished, and examples of how lives changedCOFO Program, Winter 1964 - Spring 1965
(2 pages) Memo detailing how COFO intended to carry forward the work of Freedom SummerMorey, R. Hunter: Cross Roads in COFO, December 3, 1964
(2 pages) Reflection on the future of co-operation among the main Civil Rights organizations
Key Images
![Two black men hold protest signs walking down a sidewalk past a white police officer who is holding a speaker megaphone. In the background, a police vehicle is parked on the curb.](http://cms.wisconsinhistory.org/cmsgallery/Medium/1334.jpg)
Voting Rights Protesters, 1964
Image from Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party filmstrip. View the original source document: WHI 97866
Images of Specific People
Aaron Henry
Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, Mickey Schwerner
Bob Moses
Fannie Lou Hamer
Lawrence Guyot
Victoria Gray
Images of Specific Topics
The Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City
Elections and Voting
Freedom Schools
The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party
Threats and Intimidation
Violence
Voter Registration
Learn More
View the Freedom Summer Sourcebook
See key documents compiled into a 353-page PDF from the 1964 Freedom Summer Project, including images, newspaper clippings, diary entries, and more.See Key Documents
Important original source documents brought together for convenient browsing. Documents describe the background and implementation of Freedom Summer as well as the range of reactions, including opposition and violence.See a Timeline
Track significant events of Freedom Summer. Each event is linked to an original manuscript that provides more detail.See Teacher Resources
Presentations and guides that will help teachers and students incorporate Freedom Summer into classroom activities.
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