Mississippi Freedom Democrat Party

By niquesmith

  • Freedom Ballot

    African-Americans attempted to cast votes in the Mississippi primary election but were prevented from doing so. Unable to vote in the official election, they organized an alternative "Freedom Ballot" to take place at the same time as the November voting. Seen as a protest action to dramatize denial of their voting rights, close to 80,000 people cast freedom ballots for an integrated slate of candidates

  • Founding

    Aaron Henery and Fannie Lou Hamer founded the Mississippi Freedom Democrat Party in April 1964. It welcomed both whites and blacks, to run several candidates for the Senate and Congressional elections

  • MFDP angered most white Mississippians

    During the Summer of 1964, three men, Michael H. Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney, who were associated with the MFDP, disappeared and were later found dead with fatal gunshot wounds.

  • Protest

    The MFDP wanted to seat an all-white delegation at the 1964 National Democratic Convention which met in Atlantic City. The MFDP protested. Supporters of the MFDP came from all over the United States to support their protest.

  • Compromised denied

    A compromise proposal orchestrated by Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey offered the MFDP two non-voting seats next to the regular Mississippi delegates. However, the MFDP refused the offer because it denied them any chance of voting on the floor of the convention.

  • Fannie Lou Hamer's Speech

    Fannie Lou Hamer spoke before the convention rules committee explaining the position of the party and why the compromise offered was unacceptable.

  • King's support

    Martin Lurthr King expressed support for the MFDP during one of his speeches,

  • Aaron Henry speech

    Aaron Henry talks to reporters in Atlantic City, N.J., at the Democratic National Convention after the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party refused to accept the two seats at large offered by the Credentials Committee.

  • voting rights act of 1965

    MFDP ultimately failed in its goal of gaining seats at the Democratic National Convention, but it helped pave the way for the Voting Rights Act of 1965