Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer is the name given to the summer of 1964, when Civil Rights activists worked in the South to register to vote as many African-Americans as possible in Mississippi. Over the course of the four-week project, four civil rights workers were killed, at least three Mississippi African-Americans were killed for their support of the work, 80 civil rights workers were beathen, 1062 people were arrested, 37 churches and the homes and businesses of at least 30 African-Americans were bombed or burned. Although Freedom Summer did not get many registered voters, it had a significant effect on the course of the Civil Rights Movement. Information from wikipedia
There are a lot of fantastic resources from trusted partners across the country regarding the 50th anniversary of Freedom Summer.
The official Mississippi Freedom Summer 1964-2014 website has a variety of resources, mostly geared towards the conference and civic youth meeting planned at the end of June in Jackson, MS.
The Wisconsin Historical Society has an enormous collection of primary sources from the summer of 1964, and has made a portal as well as a dedicated educator site. The Wisconsin Historical Society Press has released a new book edited by Michael Edmonds entitled Risking Everything: A Freedom Summer Reader.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers at Stanford University has a helpful outline of the events of June 1964, with links to primary sources and vocabulary assistance.
The Civil Rights Digital Library at the University of Southern Georgia has links to multiple primary sources and many teacher resources on Freedom Summer.
The PBS award-winning series Eyes on the Prize has a section on Freedom Summer. PBS.org also has links to supporting primary sources such as oral hsitories and documents, as well as music inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, videos, and photographs.
The Children's Book Council is a national non-profit that looks at children's trade books. They have published a list of children's books that deal with Freedom Summer.
For questions about this information, contact Kristen McDaniel (608) 266-2207