This summer marks the 55th anniversary of Freedom Summer, a campaign aimed at dramatically increasing voter registration in Mississippi. For ten weeks, more than 1000 student volunteers from around the country joined local organizers to set up dozens of Freedom Schools, Freedom Houses, and community centers in small towns throughout the state. They faced abuse and constant harassment from Mississippi's white population, culminating in a series of violent attacks, false arrests, and the murder of at least three civil rights activists.
To learn more about Freedom Summer and the murder of James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman, try the following resources:
In addition, all of my posts about civil rights can be found here.
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On this day in 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision in the case Miranda v. Arizona establishing the principle that all criminal suspects must be advised of their rights before interrogation. Backstory Radio recently shared an excellent history of the case, including an interview with the arresting officer and a discussion of the backlash that followed the decision.
To learn more about the rights of the accused and the Supreme Court, refer to the following cases:
All of my posts on the Supreme Court and its decisions can be found here.
On this day in 1963, NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers was gunned down in his driveway just hours after President John F. Kennedy's nationally televised speech supporting civil rights. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, where he received full military honors before a crowd of more than 3,000 onlookers.
For more information about Medgar Evers, try the following resources:
All of my posts on Civil Rights can be found here.
On this day in 1963, Governor George Wallace blocked the door of Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama in a symbolic attempt to keep his inaugural promise to stop the desegregation of the state's only remaining all-white university.
To learn more about George Wallace and his stand in the schoolhouse door, try the following resources:
All of my posts on Civil Rights can be found here.
This day in 1962 marked the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis. For the next two weeks, the United States and the Soviet Union remained on the brink of nuclear war as President John F. Kennedy negotiated the removal of Soviet-made medium-range missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, 90 miles off the American coastline in Cuba.
For more information on the Cuban Missile Crisis, try the following resources:
All of my posts on the Cold War can be found here. Today marks the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington during which Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech. It was estimated that between 200,000 - 300,000 participants crowded into the area between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial in support of civil and economic rights for African Americans. In addition to King, the day's speakers included John Lewis, Roy Wilkins, and Whitney Young with performances by Mahalia Jackson, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Marian Anderson. The March is widely credited with helping to pass the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the Voting Rights Act (1965).
To learn more about the March on Washington & the Civil Rights Movement, try the following resources:
All of my posts on Civil Rights can be found here.
On 20 July 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. successfully landed on the surface of the moon. The next day, the two left the landing craft, Eagle, to become the first people to set foot on another astronomical body. While there, they planted an American flag, spoke with President Richard Nixon, and collected soil and rock samples while astronaut Michael Collins orbited above in the command ship, Columbia.
To learn more about the Apollo 11 mission, try the following resources:
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