Fannie Lou Hamer

Paper Summary:

The paper looks at Fannie Lou Hamer, civil rights speaker and political activist who was a grass roots leader of the southern Civil Rights movement. The paper provides a biographical sketch about Hamer and explains that the differences between her and other prominent civil rights activists are based on the fact that Hamer was an ordinary person. The paper describes the violence, coercion and many trials Hamer faced as a poor, dark black woman with little education.

From the Paper:

"One of the most striking figures associated with the civil rights movement is a black woman from rural Mississippi that left a lasting impression in the minds of the nation. This woman was an outspoken and vital asset to civil rights for blacks in the south and especially with regard to the right to vote and the right to representation. Fannie Lou Hamer, civil rights speaker and political activist was a grass roots leader of the southern civil rights movement, beginning her career as an activist by making a bold attempt to register to vote in a region of the United States where countless legal and social obstacles were placed in front of her, as she was black and she was a woman."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Campbell, K. K. (Ed.). (1994). Women Public Speakers in the United States, 1925-1993: A Bio-Critical Sourcebook. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
• DeLeon, D. (Ed.). (1994). Leaders from the 1960s: A Biographical Sourcebook of American Activism. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
• Demoss, D. D. (2003). Capitol Women: Texas Female Legislators, 1923-1999. Journal of Southern History, 69(1), 220.
• Hardy, G. J. (1993). American Women Civil Rights Activists: Biobibliographies of 68 Leaders, 1825-1992. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
• Lee, C.K. (1999) For Freedom's Sake: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press

More papers on Fannie Lou Hamer:

• Descriptive Essay # 111982 : "Fannie Lou Hamer"
• Analytical Essay # 124169 : "Fannie Lou Hamer's Testimony"
• Analytical Essay # 5939 : "Fannie Lou Hamer"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: