Freedom Summer, also known as the Mississippi Summer Project, was a 1964 voter registration drive led by civil rights organizations such as the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). The goal of Freedom Summer was to increase African American voter registration in Mississippi, a state where racial segregation and voter suppression were rampant.

During Freedom Summer, hundreds of mostly white college students from the North traveled to Mississippi to assist with voter registration efforts and to establish “Freedom Schools” to educate African American communities. The summer also saw the formation of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), a political party that aimed to challenge the all-white Mississippi Democratic Party and represent the interests of African Americans.

Freedom Summer was met with violent resistance from white supremacists, including intimidation, harassment, and even murder. Three civil rights activists - James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner - were abducted and murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan in Neshoba County, Mississippi.

Despite the violence and challenges faced during Freedom Summer, the voter registration efforts and the formation of the MFDP were important steps towards expanding political participation and civil rights for African Americans in Mississippi and throughout the United States. The courage and sacrifices of those involved in Freedom Summer helped to bring national attention to the ongoing struggle for racial equality and justice in America.