Made with FlowPaper - Flipbook Maker
TURNING POINT FOR VOTING RIGHTS by Ngeri Nnachi FREEDOM SUMMER 1964 URNING POINT FOR OTING RIGHTS REEDOM UMMER 1964 nachi UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR SALEUNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALETURNING POINT FOR VOTING RIGHTS by Ngeri Nnachi FREEDOM SUMMER 1964 UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALESpotlight is published by Capstone Press, an imprint of Capstone. 1710 Roe Crest Drive, North Mankato, Minnesota 56003 capstonepub.com Copyright © 2024 by Capstone. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on the Library of Congress website. ISBN: 9781669062097 (hardcover) ISBN: 9781669062103 (paperback) ISBN: 9781669062110 (ebook PDF) Summary: Voting gives people a voice in their communities. In the past, racist laws and practices kept Black American voices silent. No place was more affected by this racism than the state of Mississippi. In 1964, organizers and volunteers brought change to Mississippi. This movement to register Black voters became known as Freedom Summer, and it led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Discover the people, events, and results of Freedom Summer, and learn why voting rights remain an important issue today. Editorial Credits Editor: Erika L. Shores; Designer: Heidi Thompson; Media Researcher: Jo Miller; Production Specialist: Tori Abraham Image Credits Alamy: Everett Collection Historical, 13; Associated Press, 10, BH, File, 23, Bill Hudson, 5, Jim Bourdier, 16, Rogelio V. Solis, 19; Getty Images: Afro Newspaper/Gado, 24 (top), Ariel Skelley, 4 (top), Bettmann, 8, 20 (all), 25, Don Cravens, 11, Express, 12, Jackson State University, 7 (all), 14, 18 (all), Keystone, 24 (bottom), Michael Ochs Archives, 9, North Carolina Central University, 21, PhotoQuest, 15, Robert Elfstrom/Villon Films, 17; Shutterstock: Andrey_Popov, 4 (middle), ang intaravichian, background (throughout), Jorge Salcedo, 4 (bottom), Trevor Bexon, 27, Veja, Cover, design element (throughout); Wikimedia/Yoichi Okamoto, 26 All internet sites appearing in back matter were available and accurate when this book was sent to press. UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALETABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION GIVING EVERYONE A VOICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 CHAPTER 1 UNFAIRNESS IN THE SOUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 CHAPTER 2 BRINGING CHANGE TO MISSISSIPPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 CHAPTER 3 SUMMER OF VIOLENCE AND FEAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 CHAPTER 4 VOTING RIGHTS THEN AND NOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 TIMELINE OF VOTING RIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 GLOSSARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 READ MORE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 INTERNET SITES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 ABOUT THE AUTHOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALEGIVING EVERYONE A VOICE Your vote is your voice. What does that mean? It means voting in elections gives people a say in what happens in their communities. One goal of the U.S. government system is that everyone has a voice. But that hasn’t always happened. In this country, some voices have not been heard. INTRODUCTION 4 UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALEIn the 1960s, Black Americans had a legal right to vote. But white people in many states worked hard to make sure Black people did not vote. They made Black people pass difficult tests to prevent them from voting. They also scared Black people who tried to vote. Sometimes police arrested them. Other times bosses fired Black people from their jobs. By 1964, a Mississippi activist named Robert Moses believed if white people from other parts of the country spoke up, others would pay attention. So he launched a plan. Civil rights activists protested for voting rights outside the courthouse in Greenwood, Mississippi, in March 1964 . 5 UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALETHINK MORE ABOUT IT! Imagine your school is buying new outdoor equipment . The principal says students can vote to decide between a climbing wall or a basketball court . The principal made a rule, though . Only students who can pass a difficult math test are allowed to vote . Is this rule fair? Why or why not? Hundreds of volunteers would spend the summer in Mississippi. They would set up Black schools. They would register Black people to vote. Many local white people didn’t like the plan. They said terrible things to the volunteers. They started fires at the Black schools. They chased volunteers with their cars and sometimes beat them up. Local white people even killed some of the volunteers. But the volunteers’ work did make voting easier and safer for African Americans. This season of activism became known as Freedom Summer. 6 UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALECoordinator for the Freedom Schools, Liz Fusco (far left), helped organize volunteers and taught Black Mississippians about their voting rights . Fact People in the United States choose their leaders. Someone who wants to be president or mayor can run for office. During an election, people vote. In most states, people must register before they are allowed to vote. 7 UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALENext >