The Case Of Three Civil Rights Activist Case Study

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Recommended: Racism and inequality

Historical Merit
“The Case of Three Civil Rights Activist”
March 21, 2014
History Through Films
Dr. Baldwin 4th Period
Hydeia Wilson

On June 21, 1964, three young civil rights workers a, James Chaney a 21 year old black Mississippian, and two white New Yorkers, Andrew Goodman 20 years old and Michael Schwerner 24 year old, were arrested earlier that afternoon on a trumped-up speeding charge, near Philadelphia, in Neshoba County, Mississippi and held for several hours then later on released in the darkness of Mississippi. They had been on their way working in Mississippi during Freedom Summer and had gone to investigate the burning of a black church. Freedom Summer was an organization that got African American in the south registered to vote, both white and black was apart of this organization. Sam Bowers sent the Klansmen of Lauderdale and Neshoba counties on plan 4. Plan 4 “the elimination” of the young civil right activist Michael Scherer who the Klan calls “Goatee”. Scherer became a target of the Ku Klux Klan for organizing the Meriden boycott and his determination to register blacks to vote. The Klan that Schwerner had a meeting on the evening of June 16 with members at Mount Zion Church in Longdale, Mississippi. Members of the church held a business meeting that evening and the 10 were leaving the church around 10 that night they met face to face with more than 30 Klansmen lined up with shotguns. Late that afternoon they were again stopped on a road by the same Neshoba County deputy sheriff who had arrested them earlier, this time assisted by a party of Ku Klux Klan. They were murdered in cold blood, transported to a dam several miles away and buried with a bulldozer.
More than 150 F.B.I. Agent traveled to Mississipp...

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... can’t be sure that this happened. Whites and black could not be seen together especially by Klansmen. In the film Brad Douriff (Deputy Clinton Pell) was supposed to be a character of Sheriff Cecil Price. Trying to investigate in Mississippi I know was scary and hard to work with a people that are not being considerate. FBI’s could not stay in certain hotels because the Klan wouldn’t give them peace, in sure that this could happen during the search of the three civil rights activists.
Even though this movie is based in real events, but some scene that appear in the film it just give the movie more action and drama. Alan Parker and the writer Chris Gerolmo wanted to the viewers and critics to be able to think and analyze the movie. I think they added other actors to make the movie intense and to add talk about scene. From experience this was an outstanding film.

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