Freedom Summer: The Savage Season That Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy

Freedom Summer: The Savage Season That Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy - Bruce Watson Most of what I have read about the Summer of 1964 has focused on the murder of the three civil rights workers. What I have never really read was what this book delivers-a comprehensive overview of Mississippi, summer of 1964, and the volunteers that flooded the state.

So many new to me facts were present. For instance, the volunteers were trained in Ohio before being sent to Mississippi. Which makes a ton of sense as those entering Mississippi was entering a hostile land. The fact that these volunteers were not only trying to register to vote blacks but also trying to force the race issue at the National Democratic Convention. Volunteers also held schools that summer, teaching kids their history and teach adults literacy and citizenship.

The story doesn't just end as the volunteers headed home. We travel to Atlantic City and see the fight for recognition, the politicians weighing the right thing to do vs political careers, and the result. We also see where some of the volunteers ended up and how Mississippi affected them, in some cases, so deeply the effects shaped their lives.

I loved this book and the overview of the Summer of 1964 in Mississippi.