Summarize or describe the contents of at least 4 online documents attached with a focus on the documents or images you have selected for discussion.
Analyze the perspective of the author(s) of the documents or images, if they are identified. What do you think was the central point of each particular piece of evidence? What do we learn about Freedom Summer from this particular text, image, or film?
Consider the apparent intended audience for the document or image (other SNCC members, media, political activists, local community, et al.) What ideas are being communicated and how? What role does the audience play in understanding the document or acting on the information it provides?
Analyze and compare the documents significance and their usefulness as evidence of the Freedom Summer. How does each document provide support for or criticism of the Movements policies? What impact do you think is had at the time of its publication? What does each document contribute to your understanding of this time and place? Which of your documents is most persuasive as evidence?
Evaluate and critique the short- and long-term impact of the policies of the Freedom Summer, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) and the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) regarding the issues(s) presented in the documents you have selected. Remember that the policy results of this period include the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the Voting Rights Act (1965). These were huge changes but they came at a cost.
What do you think were the most important victories and defeats of Freedom Summer? Why do you think so?
