Topic Selection NHD 2009

Asia Sims
Ms. Thompson/ Mr. Brasof
Art History/The U.S. Constitution
November 2, 2008
Topic Selection EssFannie Lou Hamer
There are many people that have a huge impact on history, but the one I chose I think have made a huge impact and she Fannie Lou Hamer. Fannie Lou Hamer was the one of the first African American to register to vote. She struggled to make history, but she did it. Fannie got put in jail and beaten half to deaf, but she still never gave up on what was right. With famous line "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired she accomplish many aspects of life. She was brave and not afraid to speech her mind. Not only did she change the U.S.A, she made a huge impact in history and in the constitution.
Fannie Lou Hamer was born October 6,1917, in Montgomery Country, Mississippi. She was the granddaughter of slaves. She was the youngest of 19 brothers and sisters. The thing that influenced her was her religious beliefs, so, in 1962, when Fannie was 44 years old, she volunteered for SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) to hold a voters registration meeting. She had realized that African-Americans had a constitutional right to vote. The SNCC members asked for volunteers to go to the courthouse to register to vote, when they were there, Fannie was the first to raise her hand and she knew that was a bad decision. She and others went to the courthouse; they were jailed and beaten by the police. Her courageous act got her thrown off the plantation where she was a sharecropper. She also began to receive constant death threats and was even shot at. Still, Fannie could not be discouraged. She became a SNCC Field Secretary and traveled around the country speaking and registering people to vote.

It was the year of 1962 and the historical problem that was happening was African Americans had the constitutional right to vote, but couldn’t. Ms. Hamer was invited to a Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee meeting and heard all the complaints and concerns of they wanted be treated as means of segregating in the South. This is what caused her to act and motivate other African Americans.
Fannie Lou Hamer contributed to the solution of the problem with her talent by starting a voter registration drive in Ruleville, Mississippi to challenge the unjust voting laws. The effects it had on their times was unjust laws requiring them to take test before registering knowing Africans-American couldn’t read or write. After taking the test two times and failed. Finally, she passed on January 10, 1963, but when election came she was unable to vote because she couldn’t afford to pay the Mississippi pay toll. In June of 1963, she and a few people from Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) left Mississippi going to Charleston to a registration drive. Ms. Hamer was called names, jailed and beat half unconscious. On the same night that happen to her good friend and supporter Mega Evers was shot to death.
In 1964 she co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and spoke in a televised proceeding that reached millions on everything that happened, while trying to vote. As a result of her speech, she was giving specking rights and a seat at the Chicago Demarcated Convention. She died in 1977 leaving as a long-term inspirational figure to many people especially to my new president Barack Obama and I.
We should really care about Fannie Lou Hamer today because she paved the allowing them to vote and run for president. Her hope and her faith encouraged her to do and be all that she is. She didn’t just sit there and watch thing happen to our freedom, she acted and made history. Fannie’s not famous, but she knew that she didn’t have to be famous to make a huge impact on the world, so really should be famous.



Bibliography
1. Name Editor(s): Adam Pawluk, Scott Griffin, Mark Andrews and Mark Monaco
Date and/or Version Number: Copyright 1998 Name Of Sponsoring Institution: SNCC
Site Name: www.ibiblio.com

2. Stephen Smith."Fannie Lou Hamer."American RadioWorks.
New York: Pengin, 2003.Pengin.10/21/08.
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/sayitplain/
flhamer.html

3. Alice Leuthtag."Fannie Lou Hamer."Leuthtag's ZSpace page.
July 1,2008.Zmag.10/27/08.
http://www.zmag.org/zmag/viewArticle/18067.

4. Fannie Lou Hamer.
http://www.africawithin.com/bios/fannie_hamer.htm

5. Fannie Lou Hamer
http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=205625