Coming Of Age In Mississippi

5 Pages 1326 Words

Life in the 1950’s and 60’s

Coming of Age in Mississippi, is basically Anne Moody's autobiography from the beginning of her life, into a family of poor black share-croppers through High School, College, and finally her very active involvement in the Civil Rights movement in the 50's and 60's.This powerful and very informative autobiography from Anne Moody vividly documents the discrimination many African Americans had to face in the South in the 1950s. Anne Moody, being a very independent person, always stood for what was right, rather it was standing by herself or standing with a group of people, she was always fighting for her rights. Having a very supportive and involved family also made protest more encouraging. Her passionate fight against racism encounters many obstacles, such as finding her name on a KKK "wanted" list, being an activist in the civil rights movement in Mississippi and being beaten by the local police. Her stories are intense but full of courage and the truest convictions.
In the mid 1900’s the Klu Klux Klan was revived by an Atlanta physician, Samuel Green. The Klu Klux Klan is a group of white individuals who oppose the advancement of blacks, Jews, and other minority groups. These individuals are also called the KKK or the Klan, who are people that often use violence to achieve its aims. Klan members wear robes and hoods, and burn crosses at their outdoor meetings. They also burn crosses to frighten nonmembers. During the 1960's, the Civil Rights movement began and a new wave of violence by the Ku Klux Klan was brought about. In Mississippi, three civil rights leaders were killed; in Birmingham, Alabama a church was bombed, killing four black girls. President Lyndon B. Johnson used the Federal Bureau of Investigation to probe the Ku Klux Klan and sent some Klan members to prison. Following this, Klan member ship fell to about 5,000 by the early 1970's. The Klan had their ways of informing or wa...