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

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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 opposition

• The General Condition of the Mississippi Negro, October 1963

  (20 pages) Pamphlet prepared by SNCC to educate Freedom Vote field workers

• Unit VII: The Movement

  (16 pages) History of the Civil Rights Movement up to 1964, used in Freedom Schools

• Outline of Mississippi Project Areas

  (6 pages) Summary of the political situation in each county, arranged by Congressional district

Nonviolence

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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 1964

• How Volunteers Were Taught Nonviolence, June 1964

  (2 pages) Handwritten notes by Richard Gould, a volunteer from California

• Case Study: Statements of Discipline of Nonviolent Movements

  (2 pages) A summary of how nonviolence was used by SNCC and CORE in the early 1960s

• Readings 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

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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 summer

• Mississippi Freedom Summer, Spring 1964

  (6 pages) COFO brochure addressed to Mississippi residents on how they can help the Summer Project effort

• Mississippi Freedom Project, Spring 1964

  (8 pages) SNCC fundraising brochure addressed to Northern supporters

• Dear Friend [Inviting Volunteers], Late March 1964

  (1 page) Mimeographed letter from Bob Moses outlining plans and inviting applicants

• To 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 conditions

• Memorandum 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

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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 volunteers

• Security Handbook

  (3 pages) Mimeographed guidelines about dangers for volunteers

• If You Are Arrested in Mississippi

  (7 pages) Pamphlet outlining the legal rights of people arrested

• Possible Role Playing Situations

  (1 page) Handout of scenarios that volunteers might encounter

• Mississippi 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

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'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, 1963

• Racial Facts

  (8 pages) Pamphlet, published in 1963 by the Jackson Citizens' Council, arguing that African-Americans are inherently inferior to whites and justifying segregation

• The 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, 1963

• The Klan Ledger, Early Autumn 1964

  (4 pages) Newsletter issue containing the Ku Klux Klan's (KKK) assessment of the Mississippi Summer Project

• Mississippi: Subversion of the Right to Vote

  (18 pages) Pamphlet with long quotations from segregationist politicians

The Murders of Chaney, Goodman, Schwerner

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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 Schwerner

• The Disappearance of Three Summer Project Workers (June 22, 1964)

  (1 page) Memo from Bob Moses sharing the facts as then known

• To Parents of All Mississippi Summer Volunteers

  (3 pages) Mimeographed letter asking parents to contact elected officials

• Civil 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 Schwerner

• Indictment 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

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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 families

• Letter 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, Wisconsin

• Letter 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, Wisconsin

• Negro Fired for Housing Rights Workers, July 1964

  (1 page) SNCC press release from Ruleville, Mississippi, describing reprisals against a host family

• Dear Parents, July 3, 1964

  (1 page) Letter from an unidentified volunteer describing how his host family and neighbors defend themselves from attacks

• Dear 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)

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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 Convention

• Mississippi 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

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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

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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 people

• Overview of the Freedom Schools, May 5, 1964

  (3 pages) Memo to prospective teachers

• The Setting Up of a Freedom School

  (1 page) Instructions on how to set up a Freedom School

• A Note to the Teacher on Curriculum

  (14 pages) Guide with curriculum outline, lesson plans, and much more

• Some Notes on Leading Discussions

  (3 page) Guide on integrating real-world situations into the classroom

• Profiles of Typical Freedom Schools: Hattiesburg, Meridian, Holly Springs

  (3 pages) Accounts of Freedom School activities in three Mississippi towns

• Freedom School Data, July 1964

  (8 pages) Summary of statistics and activities through late July 1964

• A Resume of Activities at Freedom Schools, August 7, 1964

  (2 pages) Concise summary of the activities at a number of Freedom Schools

• Fusco, Liz: Freedom Schools in Mississippi, 1964

  (7 pages) Reflection on the effect of the schools on the children's consciousness

• Hard, 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

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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 directors

• Voter 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 vote

• Voter Registration Laws in Mississippi

  (10 pages) History of laws since 1890, including examples of intimidation and harassment

• Techniques for Fieldwork: Voter Registration

  (2 pages) Manual for organizers and project staff

• Overview of the Community Centers, Spring 1964

  (1 page) Summary of the role of Freedom Houses in the voter registration program

Intimidation and Violence

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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 workers

• Mississippi 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 organizers

• Running Summary of Incidents, June 16 through August 26, 1964

  (26 pages) Pamphlet listing acts of intimidation and violence during the Freedom Summer Project

• Courthouse Arrests, Summer and Fall 1964

  (22 pages) Compiled affidavits from people arrested while trying to register to vote

• Partial 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

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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 convention

• To 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 MFDP

• The Convention Challenge

  (5 pages) Explanation of why the MFDP didn't accept the compromises offered at the convention

• Statement 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

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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

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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 for

• Instructions 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 Vote

• Freedom Primer No. 1: The Convention Challenge and the Freedom Vote

  (10 pages) Brochure explaining the connections between the two events

• Freedom 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 race

• Events in Mississippi November 1-2, 1964

  (2 pages) List of violent incidents perpetrated during the Freedom Vote

• Freedom 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

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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 rights

• Freedom Primer No. 3: The Right to Vote and the Congressional Challenge

  (12 pages) Printed brochure

• Reprisals Against MFDP Members, January 13, 1965

  (1 pages) Summary listing reprisals against activists who protested the seating of the all-white Mississippi Congressional delegation

• The 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

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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 next

• Moses, 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 delegation

• The 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 changed

• COFO Program, Winter 1964 - Spring 1965

  (2 pages) Memo detailing how COFO intended to carry forward the work of Freedom Summer

• Morey, 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

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Voting Rights Protesters, 1964

Image from Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party filmstrip. View the original source document: WHI 97866

• Images from a 1965 MFDP Filmstrip About Freedom Summer

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.

Have Questions?

Contact our Library and Archives staff by email.

• asklibrary@wisconsinhistory.org

• askarchives@wisconsinhistory.org