June 21, 1964 witnessed one of the most chilling events of the Civil Rights Movement, the murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner. James Chaney and Michael Schwerner were members of the civil rights group CORE, the Congress of Racial Equality, and Andrew Goodman was a summer volunteer to help with their programs. On June 21, 1964, the Mississippi Ku Klux Klan murdered all three.
Schwerner and Chaney had been holding meetings at the Mt. Zion Church in Neshoba County, Mississippi. The goal was to register people to vote. However, on June 20, local Klansmen burned the church to the ground, a common intimidation tactic during the Civil Rights Movement. The next day, Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner drove to investigate. On their way home, they underwent arrest for allegedly speeding near Philadelphia, Mississippi. Deputy Sheriff Cecil Price released them that evening at 10 PM.
However, in the meantime, Klansmen had gathered. When Price released the three prisoners from jail, they disappeared without a trace. Immediately, civil rights workers knew the men were dead.
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Aftermath of the Murder of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner
The local FBI in Jackson, Mississippi, refused to investigate. Most likely, the story would have ended there. Except for one thing. While Chaney was a native of Mississippi and an African American, Goodman and Schwerner were white and had well-connected families. As a result, attention focused on Philadelphia.
President Lyndon Johnson believed the whole story a publicity stunt. Eventually, however, over 100 FBI agents went to Mississippi to search for the bodies. Thanks to an informant, they found them on August 4, buried fourteen feet underground.
Despite the evidence, the state of Mississippi would not prosecute the murderers in state court. So, the national government charged eighteen men with violating the civil rights of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner. Seven convictions resulted. Eight men were acquitted. The jury deadlocked on the guilt of the remaining three.
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