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Mississippi Civil Rights Workers MurdersThe Mississipi Civil Rights Workers Murders were the 1964 slayings of three political activists during the Civil Rights Movement. James Chaney, a 21 year old black male from Meridian, Mississippi, Andrew Goodman, a 20 year old anthropology student from New York, and Michael Schwerner, a 24 year old social worker also from New York, were the victims of the political assasinations. The slayings of the three men occurred in Philadelphia, Mississippi, on June 21, 1964, following a campaign by the men to register blacks to vote. Local racists threatened the men to leave by sundown or they would be shot. Although the men had clear implications to leave in peace, they were still pursued by local police officers and townspeople. The men were allegedly hunted down by the sheriff of Neshoba County, Cecil Price, along with several members of the Ku Klux Klan. After cars surrounded the men, they were assaulted and murdered. After missing for several months, the bodies, along with the charred remains of the car they had been driving were found. Nineteen men were put to trial in 1967, most of whom were set free later. The importance of the murders was magnified twice recently. First, the filming of the 1988 film Mississippi Burning shed light on the historical significance of the trial. Edgar Ray Killen, considered to be one of the leading assailants in the murders, was arrested for three counts of murder on January 6, 2005.
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