Freedom Summer 1964 Voter Registration Campaign

Freedom Summer Summer The SNCC targeted black voter registration in the South as the next step in its efforts after the Civil Rights Bill. Less than 2 million of the south’s 5 million blacks were registered to vote. Leflore County, Mississippi with 80% blacks and one registered voter.

Voter Registration Campaign Voter registration spread across southern states. White resistance hardened through economic boycotts and increased violence. 60 civil rights workers had been murdered or disappeared in Mississippi. – (Don’t copy) This included three voting recruiters brutally murdered who are the subject of Mississippi Burning.

Voter Registration Campaign Voters faced a number of obstacles – Violence and economic threats intimidated blacks who would otherwise vote. – The US State department said they could not stop this as it was a state matter.

Key Paragraph… That links to changing attitudes in the civil rights movement… – The Mississippi campaign saw splits in the civil rights movement. The SNCC regarded the SCLC as too likely to compromise. SNCC became increasingly radical and later dropped ‘Non- violent’ from its name.

Task: Read the ‘Selma Campaign’, page 69 of your text book Summarise the top paragraph. Make summary notes/bullet points on the event, and focus on why MLK began to lose support. Supplement your learning by reading the handout and using it to add to your notes.

Voting Rights Act 1965 The Selma campaign caused legislation to be introduced that removed obstacles in black attempts to register to vote. The Act removed literacy tests which had answers that nobody knows. It made provisions for federal officials to register blacks in areas where fewer than 50% were registered to vote.