Sunday, June 21, 2009

Do You Know These Missing Men?

Three young men were murdered 45 years ago today. Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney joined the ranks of dozens of others who, just over the last 60 years, were shot, stabbed, bombed, and lynched attempting to straighten out the left behind mess of post Reconstruction America. These three became known to America as the Mississippi Burning Boys who should not be confused with the Birmingham Four or the Meadville, Mississippi Two or the Orangeburg, South Carolina Three.

The US Government has put out a handy guild to the Civil Rights Movement of the last 100 years. It has a lot of pictures for those who want a simple overview of the greatest social revolution in America since the Civil War. Given the fact that no one apparently teaches this material in depth in the schools any longer, perhaps this scaled down version is a good primer. For those truly adventurous, this website will keep you reading long into the night.