Case Study 1: Component 2

Legislated changes to extend the right to vote in America did not always mean that those rights were immediately or easily executed. In many cases, those who sought to limit voting for members of their communities took action to stall voter registration. Students will explore three episodes of attempts to limit the registration of eligible Black voters occurred in the American south, and should discuss ways in which both overt and implicit violence were part of these episodes.  Students will explore the Hamburg Massacre in South Carolina in the late 19th Century, the broad use of literacy tests at voter registration, and Mississippi Freedom Summer.  

Following the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, many states within the former Confederate States of America saw a rise of violence during election times, as Black Americans attempted to use their newly granted right to vote. Some areas, such as Hamburg, South Carolina, were home to groups called Rifle Clubs – men who gathered together under the guise of holding shooting competitions and marching in parades, but who also had a much more nefarious intent, that of preventing Black men from participating in voting.

Other attempts to limit voting for Black Americans in the South included the use of literacy tests, which posed complicated questions about the elections process, the US Constitution, or state laws on voting to voters who attempted to cast a ballot. Those who were unable to successfully answer the questions could be deemed not sufficiently informed to cast a ballot. Because the tests could be administered at the discretion of the local voting boards, tests were typically only given to groups who those in political power hoped to restrict from voting.

The Deep South, states that had primarily been associated with the former Confederate States of America, continued to restrict voter registration for Black Americans throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Things came to a violent head during the summer of 1964, which is commonly referred to as Freedom Summer. Several civil rights organizations around the country targeted the state of Mississippi with a mission to create an overarching program to enhance voting rights. Volunteers numbering close to 1,000 came to Mississippi to build schools and libraries, host meetings to educate the public about voting rights, and conduct voter registration. The white power structure within the state did not respond well to these efforts. Volunteer workers were beaten, churches (the most typical meeting place for the volunteer groups) were bombed or burned down, more than 1,000 people were arrested, four civil rights workers and three citizens were murdered.