Freedom Summer & the Summer of 1964

June 21, 1964 - Three volunteers are arrested.  Upon release, they are abducted and killed by Klansmen.

In the 1960s, the Mississippi voting registration procedure required Blacks to fill out a 21-question registration form, answering questions on the interpretation of any one of 285 sections of the state constitution.  The white registrars used their answers to rule on the applicant's qualifications, and decided against most blacks, not allowing them to register.  This was one form of Jim Crow, following the letter of the law, if not the spirit.

In 1963, volunteers set up polling places in black churches and businesses across Mississippi, encouraging people to register and vote.  Local civil rights workers and volunteers, along with students from northern and western universities, organized and implemented a mock election, in which tens of thousands voted.

The following year, in June 1964, a volunteer campaign was launched in an attempt to register as many black voters as possible in the state of Mississippi.  This project was called Freedom Summer, and the volunteers also set up dozens of Freedom Schools, Freedom Houses, and community centers in small towns throughout Mississippi to aid the local black population.

Our spine read for this unit is Freedom Summer

Access the complete unit in Twenty-Three Reads Bundle, the literature-based program for someone who wants a little bit of everything! 

It includes twenty-three unit studies covering a wide range of topics. Each unit has introductory text, which will give the student basic background information about the topic at hand. These studies are directed toward upper grades students, but some have resources for younger students so that the whole family can work together.

• There are photographs and illustrations, and we have also included primary documents when available.
• After this text, there are featured videos, which augment the background information and help make the topic more accessible for more visual students.
• You will also find a short list of reading books, including a featured novel that the unit builds upon.
• There are vocabulary words, places, and people to identify.
• Reading comprehension, critical thinking questions, and writing assignments are included.
• We add fun with hands-on activities and extra videos to watch that will bring the era to life.

Includes:

• Language Arts
• Finding Langston & the Poetry of Langston Hughes
• Geography
• Anne of Green Gables & Canadian Provinces
• Stowaway & Antarctica
• Julie of the Wolves & Alaska
• Blades of Freedom & the Louisiana Purchase
• The Avion My Uncle Flew & France
• History
• Zlata’s Diary & the Slavic Wars
• Freedom Summer & the Summer of 1964
• Treasure Island & Pirates of the Caribbean Sea
• Farenheit 451 & Types of Government
• Red Stars & Russia in World War 2
• The Great Gatsby & the Roaring Twenties
• The Long List of Impossible Things & Post-War Germany
• A Tale of Two Cities & French Revolution
• Witch of Blackbird Pond & Salem Witch Trials
• The World Made New & Early Explorers
• Stitching a Life & Jewish Immigration
• Life Skills
• Teetoncey & Lifesaving Skills
• Freak of the Week & Disabilities Awareness
• Island of the Blue Dolphins & Sailing
• Science
• The Science of Breakable Things & the Scientific Method
• Frankenstein & Human Anatomy
• Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation & Albert Einstein

Product samples:

• Teetoncey & Lifesaving Skills
• Finding Langston & the Poetry of Langston Hughes
• Farenheit 451 & Types of Government