Main Issues the Civil Rights Movement Addressed - Book Report/Review Example

            Many Americans were not registered to vote at the time because of racial segregation. Focus was laid on registering voters during Freedom Summer because the campaign was run by young students and they were free during summer to engage in CRM.  

Mississippi was called the “last frontier” of the Civil Rights Movement. Why? Why do you think it was chosen as the focus of Freedom Summer?

            Mississippi was chosen as the focus of Freedom Summer because it was a particularly violent state characterized by terrorism and brutality. If black people attempted to vote, it meant that they were messing with white folks’ affairs.

One of the aims of the Civil Rights Movement was to overturn the Jim Crow system in the South. What was Jim Crow? Was segregation legal? Discuss.

            Jim Crow was the name given to the very popular racial segregation system. Under the Jim Crow laws in the southern US, African Americans had to put up with legalized discrimination on many levels from employment to housing to public benefits.

Civil Rights workers tried to help African Americans in the South register to vote. What were some of the obstacles African Americans faced when trying to register?

            Many horrors confronted African Americans in Mississippi when trying to register. Local white residents deeply resented both blacks and any outsider supporting their right to vote. So, Freedom Summer elicited shootings and harassment.

Who was Medgar Evers? Why was he assassinated?

            Medgar Evers was a civil rights activist in Mississippi. He was assassinated due to efforts made by him to overthrow segregation. His contributions to CRM were of such high quality that he became the number one target of white elitists.

Although white students helped to bring media attention to the Civil Rights Movement, there were some complications. Discuss the pros and cons of white students going to the South to be a part of Freedom Summer.

            Thousands of students were sent to the South from all around the country. Their association with vote registration activities and freedom schools helped to open up Mississippi. Bad things happened and many students got killed.

The Ku Klux Klan targeted Michael Schwerner for assassination. Why?

            KKK targeted Michael Schwerner for assassination because of very important civil rights work done by him which was of monumental importance. This work promoted voting registration among the black community which annoyed KKK.

Lyndon B. Johnson was president of the United States during Freedom Summer. How did Johnson respond to the events of Freedom Summer and the Civil Rights Movement in general?

            President Johnson positively responded to the events of Freedom Summer and even facilitated the passage of the Civil Rights Act, but his involvement in the emancipation of black voters declined later because he did not want to lose Southern support.

Were you surprised by the violence the Civil Rights Movement provoked? Why do you think the KKK and others reacted so violently? Discuss.

            The violence spurred by CRM was not surprising as all who participated in it knew they had to be prepared for the worst including death. KKK and others reacted so violently because they did not want the situation in the southern US to change ever. They wanted to preserve white supremacy.

Discuss the legacy of Freedom Summer. What were its consequences for American society overall?

            Freedom Summer is a very important historical campaign because it paved the way to equal rights and opportunities for black people in America. It spurred violence, but those interested in freedom believed that some people had to go down for the greater good.