Primary Sources

The following is a list of primary sources that is listed in chronological order.

Direct Action in McComb, 1961
Source: Civil Rights Movement Veterans website
This web link provides a historical timeline, "History & Timeline of the Southern Freedom Movement from 1951-1968". In 1961, actions were taken against members of the “Klan nation” in Mississippi and Louisiana. Information in the link includes the “McComb project” in 1961, which included voter registration training, and nonviolent resistance training with members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

1964 Statement of Principles
Source: McComb Enterprise-Journal
The Statement of Principles first appeared in the McComb Enterprise-Journal as an ad signed by more than 600 people, as a call for peace and an end to violence. It is remembered today in a variety of ways: Some feel that it was a courageous stand; and some feel that it demonstrated sheer common sense of local business owners; some feel that it was too little, too late and had no real impact. No matter the interpretation, the statement had an impact on the town, garnering much discussion, and even gaining the small town positive press throughout the world. Included is the text of the article as it originally appeared in the Enterprise-Journal and a link to the original signers.

Civil Rights Incidents 1964, Part 1
Source: Civil Rights Movement Veterans website
Microfilm roster of documented civil rights violations from April 29 to November 5, 1964. Roster includes incidences of arson, bombings, violations, felonies, black/white hostilities, and Ku Klux Klan investigations in McComb and surrounding areas. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted on July 2, 1964.

List of McComb Bombers, Part 2
Source: Civil Rights Movement Veterans website
Outlines the indictments and sentencing of the 11 convicted McComb bombers.

Voter Registration
Source: University of Southern Mississippi’s Civil Rights Documentation Project website
Link provides a brief overview of the risks and challenges associated with McComb voter registration efforts and drives. Web links and audio accompany this primary source.

The War on Vietnam: A McComb, Mississippi, Protest
Source: African American Involvement in the Vietnam War website
Excerpt from Black Protest: History, Documents, and Analyses, 1619 to the Present, about the first documented civil rights movement protest against the Vietnam War in 1965, held in McComb. Links to the African American Involvement in the Vietnam War home page, providing secondary sources for further research.

McComb Freedom School Play
Source: Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's website
Site was created to serve as a meaningful primary resource for teachers and classes studying the Civil Rights Movement. Includes original and full text of the McComb Freedom School Play written about the actual events that occurred during the summer of 1964 in McComb. An interpretation of gaps in the play is offered by students and faculty at the university.

Senate Bill 2718
Source: Mississippi State Legislature website
Signed into law in 2006, the Mississippi Senate Bill 2718 mandates the teaching of civil and human rights history in all K-12 curriculum. This act will provide appropriate guidelines for grade–level classroom learning; establish a Mississippi civil rights education commission to inventory civil rights exhibits; and identify resources and coordinate civil rights awareness and education in the public schools and for related purposes.

Railroad Museum
Source: McComb Railroad Museum website
This link provides information about railroad history and the museum’s history, current projects, news, permanent and upcoming collections and events, links to “Journey Stories," and a photo gallery.