Mississippi Burning, 1988 (Edexcel A-Level History): Revision Notes
Mississippi Burning, 1988
Overview of the film
Mississippi Burning is a 1988 film directed by Alan Parker (a British filmmaker). The film is based on real historical events that took place in Mississippi in 1964. It follows a murder mystery format, focusing on the investigation into the deaths of three civil rights activists who were murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan.
The film was both commercially successful and highly controversial, receiving significant criticism for its portrayal of the civil rights movement and the role of the FBI in advancing racial justice.
The film's controversy centers on a fundamental tension: while it successfully depicted the violence and terror faced by black Americans in 1960s Mississippi, it was simultaneously criticized for telling this story through the lens of white FBI agents rather than the actual civil rights activists who risked everything for racial justice.
The real events of 1964
In 1964, three civil rights activists disappeared in Neshoba County, Mississippi (shown as the fictional Jessup County in the film):
- James Cheney – a black American
- Andrew Goodman – white
- Michael Schwerner – white
These three men were in Mississippi helping with black voter registration efforts during what became known as Freedom Summer. They were all murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan. The film does not name these victims, instead focusing on the FBI investigation into their deaths.
This occurred during a period of intense civil rights activism and violent white resistance in Mississippi. Black Americans attempting to exercise their voting rights faced serious threats, violence, and intimidation from white supremacists. The murders of Cheney, Goodman, and Schwerner became a defining moment that drew national attention to the dangers faced by civil rights workers in the Deep South.
Main characters and plot
The film centres on two white FBI agents who are sent to Mississippi to investigate the activists' disappearance:
- Agent Alan Ward (played by Willem Dafoe) – portrayed as a liberal, by-the-book agent
- Agent Rupert Anderson (played by Gene Hackman) – depicted as a rough-and-ready agent willing to use unorthodox methods
The agents confront a community controlled by white supremacists:
- Mayor Tilman – a white supremacist who leads the town
- Deputy Sheriff Clinton Pell – a member of the Ku Klux Klan
The film's plot shows how the FBI agents, using unorthodox methods, work to uncover the Ku Klux Klan conspiracy and bring the main perpetrators to justice.
The contrast between the two FBI agents represents different approaches to fighting racial injustice: Ward's adherence to legal procedures versus Anderson's willingness to break rules to achieve justice. This dynamic drives much of the film's tension and raises questions about whether the ends justify the means.
Portrayal of racial violence
The film includes several scenes depicting Klan brutality and the dangers that black people faced in Mississippi during the mid-1960s. One notable scene shows several white men severely beating a young black man who had been approached by the FBI for information. These scenes illustrate the very real risks that black citizens took when they dared to speak out for racial justice or cooperate with investigations.
The violence shown in the film demonstrates the climate of terror that existed in Mississippi, where white supremacists used intimidation and violence to maintain racial oppression and prevent black Americans from exercising their rights.
FBI methods and the film's conclusion
Towards the end of the film, the FBI agents conclude that lawful procedures will not be sufficient to bring the activists' murderers to justice. Instead, they trick and terrorise Klan members to force confessions about their involvement in the murders.
According to the film's own logic, these threats of violence against Klan members are justified because:
- The Klan showed complete disregard for the law
- Such methods were necessary to achieve justice for the black community
- Standard legal procedures had failed
This portrayal suggests that fighting fire with fire was necessary to overcome white supremacist violence and obstruction of justice.
The film's justification of FBI violence against Klan members raises ethical questions about the use of illegal methods to combat injustice. While the film presents this as necessary and justified, critics have pointed out that this narrative itself becomes problematic when combined with the film's exclusion of actual civil rights activists and their non-violent resistance strategies.
Historical accuracy and major criticisms
Despite being based on real events, Mississippi Burning received substantial criticism for providing a misleading and inaccurate depiction of the civil rights movement in Mississippi. The main criticisms include:
White-centered narrative
Most black characters in the film play minor roles, while all the key character roles are white. By making two FBI agents the heroes of the story, the film sidelined the real individuals and organizations who actually led Mississippi's civil rights movement during the 1960s. This created a whitewashed depiction – a portrayal that minimizes or excludes the contributions of people of color in favor of white protagonists.
Understanding "Whitewashing":
A whitewashed depiction presents a story fundamentally about racial injustice while centering white characters as the heroes and minimizing or erasing the actual contributions of people of color. In Mississippi Burning, this means the film tells a story about the civil rights movement without giving voice or agency to the civil rights activists themselves, instead focusing on white FBI agents as saviors.
Exclusion of real activists
The film excluded references to:
- Local black American citizens who challenged Mississippi's racist policies, despite threats made to their lives and families
- Civil rights organizations that coordinated activism and voter registration efforts
- Both black and white civil rights activists who risked their lives for racial justice
By focusing on fictional white FBI agents in a film supposedly about racial injustice, the film shifted attention away from the real heroes of the civil rights movement.
Critical Historical Omission:
The film's decision to exclude actual civil rights organizations and activists is particularly significant because these individuals and groups were the ones actually driving change in Mississippi. Organizations like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) organized Freedom Summer and voter registration efforts. By erasing them from the narrative, the film fundamentally misrepresents who deserves credit for advancing civil rights.
Misrepresentation of the FBI
The film portrayed the FBI as far more committed to civil rights than they actually were in 1964. In reality, the FBI's involvement in civil rights cases was often reluctant and limited. The agency did not demonstrate the level of dedication shown in the film, and Director J. Edgar Hoover was known to be hostile to the civil rights movement and its leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr.
Contemporary criticism
When the film was released in 1988, Coretta Scott King (Martin Luther King's widow) publicly criticized the film for ignoring the role of both black and white civil rights activists. Her criticism highlighted how the film rewrote history by making white FBI agents the heroes instead of acknowledging the courage and sacrifice of actual civil rights workers.
Exam focus: evaluating historical films
When analyzing Mississippi Burning for exam purposes, consider:
Approaching Film Analysis in Exams:
Historical films are not simply "right" or "wrong" – they are interpretations that make choices about what to include, exclude, and emphasize. Your analysis should examine these choices and their implications for historical understanding.
For historical accuracy:
- What does the film get right about the violence and intimidation faced by black citizens and civil rights workers?
- What real events does it portray accurately (the murders, Klan involvement, location)?
For historical inaccuracy:
- How does focusing on white FBI agents distort the historical reality of the civil rights movement?
- What important groups and individuals are excluded from the narrative?
- How does the portrayal of the FBI differ from historical reality?
For interpretation:
- Why might filmmakers have chosen to focus on white FBI agents rather than actual activists?
- What does this reveal about Hollywood's approach to telling civil rights stories in the 1980s?
- How might this film have influenced public understanding of the civil rights movement?
Common Pitfall to Avoid:
Don't simply state whether the film is accurate or inaccurate. Explain what is inaccurate, why it matters, and what the historical consequences of such misrepresentation might be. For example, don't just say "the film is inaccurate because it focuses on FBI agents" – explain how this focus erases the actual civil rights activists and what impact this erasure has on public understanding of who fought for racial justice.
Key Points to Remember:
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Mississippi Burning (1988) is based on the real 1964 murders of three civil rights activists (James Cheney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner) in Mississippi by Ku Klux Klan members
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The film focuses on two white FBI agents investigating the murders, rather than on the civil rights activists themselves or the broader movement
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The film accurately depicts the violence and intimidation that black citizens faced in Mississippi, but was heavily criticized for providing a whitewashed version of history
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Major criticisms included: centering white FBI agents as heroes instead of real activists, excluding the contributions of local black citizens and civil rights organizations, and exaggerating the FBI's commitment to civil rights
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Coretta Scott King and other critics condemned the film for ignoring the roles of both black and white civil rights activists who actually led the movement and risked their lives for racial justice
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When evaluating the film for exams, focus on analyzing what is portrayed inaccurately, why these choices matter, and what historical consequences result from such misrepresentation