Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Ed King Collection of Civil Rights Material

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0559
Creators:
King, Ed
Dates:
1961-1970.
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.5 Cubic feet
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The bulk of this collection contains affidavits and legal papers filed in civil action suits which document acts of violence committed against Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) workers between 1961 and 1964. All activity documented occurred in Mississippi, and much of the violence that occurred was inflicted by police and white civilians. Also contained in this collection are materials relating to COFO, and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, comprising a mission statement, and a document sent to the SNCC organization pertaining to voter registration of African-Americans living in Mississippi, all of which reflect the effort of the MFDP to have African-American Congressmen elected in Mississippi.
The last item in the half document box is a pamphlet entitled "Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story." Created in cartoon format, it appears to target a younger audience. The oversize box contains Civil Rights newspapers published in Mississippi. Included are issues of "The Kudzu," the "Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party Newsletter," and the AMississippi Free Press."
This primary source material from COFO and MFDP help document the massive, non-violent struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi in the early 1960's. The collection confirms evidence of backlash demonstrated by intolerance and violence that occurred as a result of this struggle.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Collection is arranged into one series.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
The Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) arose from the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), founded in 1960 to coordinate student sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina and elsewhere. COFO, was organized by Robert Moses in 1961, to secure the release of Freedom Riders in Mississippi. Many COFO workers were originally members of SNCC. COFO's goal was to increase the percentage of registered African-American voters in Mississippi, from the low 7% that existed in 1964.
In the summer of 1964, COFO was a key player in the organization of the Mississippi Summer Project. Prior to the summer, many white and African-American students, primarily from the South and the Northeast, organized to lead demonstrations, and to create political awareness among the large African-American population in Mississippi. During the summer, COFO was successful in setting up "freedom schools" and community centers throughout the state. This encouraged the emergence of young leaders who would teach African-Americans to articulate their needs and discontents within the existing socio-political structure in Mississippi. This activity, however, produced a severe white backlash, and many acts of violence occurred against COFO workers. These actions, many of them police instigated, are documented in this collection through affidavits and other legal documents on civil action.
Another accomplishment of COFO was the establishment of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. The MFDP enrolled the majority of African-Americans who were systematically denied access to the delegate selection process of the regular Mississippi Democratic Party (MDP). The MFDP organized itself along the same lines, contained many of the same rules, and divided into the same Congressional districts as the MDP. MFDP's goal, however, was to contest seats in Congress traditionally held by white Mississippians, in order to create a more equal representation of the state as a whole.
Edwin King was a white Methodist minister originally from Vicksburg, MI. Although raised with a traditional Mississippi upbringing, he had the opportunity, while attending Milsap College, to work with black students from Tougaloo College. This had a profound influence on his life. When he and his wife were graduated from Milsap College in the early '50's, they attended Boston University for graduate studies in seminary and social work, respectively, and decided that they could no longer live in the South. They were conscientious objectors to the racist attitudes of their neighbors and did not want to confront them (the neighbors or the attitudes). However, this was changed by a serendipitous dinner with Reverend Abernathy. Reverend King and several others were having dinner at a black restaurant in Montgomery, Alabama when everyone in the party was arrested. From that time, Reverend King and his wife were deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

Administration

Author
Peter Lisius
Custodial History
This small collection represents some of the materials that Reverend King acquired while active in the Movement. The Collection was transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Community Life on July 17, 1992. It came to us from Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, who with former husband Cordell, had connections with many Movement participants. She also played a lead role in the Voices of the Civil Rights Movement project co-sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and Howard University in the late 1980's.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection donated by Ed King on September 17, 1996.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Peter Lisius, August 19, 1997.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Ed King Collection of Civil Rights Material, 1961-1970, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Civil rights Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Civil rights movements -- 1960-1970 -- Mississippi Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cartoons (humorous images) -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Civil court records -- 1960-1970 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Affidavits Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Race relations -- 1960-1970 -- Mississippi Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Violence -- 1960-1970 -- Mississippi Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Comic books Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mississippi -- 1960-1970 Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Council of Federated Organizations. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
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Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
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