Freedom Summer

Freedom Summer also known as the Mississippi Summer Project was a campaign in the United States launched in June 1964 to attempt to  register as many African American voters as possible in Mississippi, which up to that time had almost totally excluded black voters. Many out-of state volunteers participated in Freedom Summer alongside thousands of black Mississippians. Most of the volunteers were young, 90 percent were white and many were Jewish.  In the end, however, the Freedom Summer Project helped gain the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and formed the foundation for the newly emerging black power movement. Two of the most significant accomplishments were the creation of Freedom Schools and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.