COFO charged that the accused had "engaged in widespread terroristic acts to intimidate, punish, and deter the Negro citizens of Mississippi." (Watson, 171). .
The KKK exemplified the type of horrific warfare waged against blacks in the south, brutally attacking a few to send a message to the thousands. For example, Emmett Till was murdered in 1955, and his death sparked a period of apathy toward the backwards "justice" system of Mississippi. "All the blacks murdered in Mississippi since Emmett Till had scarcely raised concerns beyond state borders." (Watson, 93). Blacks in Mississippi would not be able to break down the racial barriers on their own, lest they be "exterminated," in the KKK's own words. They needed help from all of America, and that is where the Freedom Summer movement stepped in. .
The Freedom Summer movement had a few goals that would define the success of its multi-faceted plan: First, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) wanted to repair the damage to the collective black psyche by educating in Freedom Schools. Second, the movement wanted to register black voters to help them fulfill their political rights. Finally, "Moses had hoped for 400,000 names" (Watson, 235) to sign up for the Freedom Democratic Party. To achieve those ends, the movement necessitated protection because "Mississippi [was] the only state where you could drag a river any time and find bodies you were not expecting." (Watson, 147). While Mississippi was among the states with the lowest crime rates in 1964, its murder rate was twice the national average. The Freedom Summer achieved protection, however, because their revolution was televised; the national attention the movement received pressured Lyndon B. Johnson's administration, as well as the FBI, to ensure the safety of volunteers. .