Freedom Rides Segregation

on non-violent protest in the Southern States. Thousands of black and white protesters demonstrated peacefully against segregation—against practice where white people had seating preference in public buses,

In America, the reaction to the protest was very intense. Throughout the protest, the Freedom Riders came across violence and the reaction of the protest was ruthless. While having to delay their journey to change a slashed tire, “one bus was firebombed and the Freedom Riders were beaten (by a white mob). The second bus was similarly attacked and the passengers beaten”.11 In America, there was a Freedom Ride accompanied by the State Highway Patrol, taking their journey headed for Montgomery; but when “local police failed to protect them, they were again beaten”12.

On May 4th, 1961, thirteen brave individuals set out on a mission to start a national movement to overturn segregation in the south. Under the leadership of Congress of Racial Equality, seven African Americans and six whites traveled together on two commercial buses, the Greyhound and the Trailways. They called themselves “The Freedom Riders.” They intended to travel from Washington DC to New Orleans, Louisiana together. On the way, they would deliberately violated Jim Crow laws. The Freedom Riders risked being assaulted, arrested, and even killed. Many other civil rights activists opposed their plan because they felt the idea was too confrontational and dangerous, and could possibly result in a setback for the civil rights movement. Despite the risks and opposition, the Freedom Riders did not abort their mission. The activists were tired of waiting, therefore they decided that they are not going to

"You have the right to live in the kind of world where your rights and freedoms are respected" conveyed in Article 28 draws attention to the way aboriginal people were forced to live in, as they were prejudiced from the main towns in Australia. Article 28 gave respected freedom and rights to the indigenous to live however they want. On the 4th of May, 1961 a similar protest to the aboriginal freedom ride took place. A group of African-American and white civil rights protestants began bus trips to several towns in South America. The Freedom Rides were established by the Congress of Racial Equality, a US civil rights groups. Their purpose was to test the 1960 decision that segregation of national bus terminals was prohibited. They attempted to use 'white only' lunch tables, waiting rooms and restrooms. This proved to be a dangerous mission as they endured a lot of violent. Another evidence of White-Americans hatred towards the Africans was the incident that transpired inAnniston, Alabama. One bus was firebombed and the African-American passengers were forced to flee for their lives.

This actually led to the government to pass the law that buses would now become unsegregated, giving the people the perspective that Martin Luther King was the black’s beacon of light at the end of the tunnel.

Sit-ins and Freedom rides became the new top controversial occurances throughout the South. It began to happen more and more frequently. Black were beaten, brutalized, mocked, and even killed all because they were trying to prove a point that they firmly believed in. In the

As the trip started the first two days were uneventful and in fact pretty easy. One rider said if it says the same then will have accomplished what we came to do. Martin Luther King Jr. was an icon for these riders and some of the riders were pulled aside to talk with him. As they are heading into the most dangerous location of the trip many are becoming fearful. Upon arriving to Alabama, there were about 200 people around the bus stay screaming at them and calling them names. Some of those were: “ let’s kill these niggers these nigger lovers”(Freedom Riders). They stood around the bus to make sure that the bus could not move. One rider said, “we sat there for about 10-15 minutes but it felt like hours”. Once, the driver was able to drive out of the bus stop there was a car diving in front of him that was making it difficult to get by. Just as they thought things could not get any worse the bus gets a flat tire and the bus drivers tries to fix it but couldn’t so he walk away and leaves the riders on the bus to fend for themselves. As the bus is sitting there a

In a march against segregation and barriers for African-American voting rights, peaceful marchers were exposed to harsh treatment by the police, 50 being hospitalized by the terrorism inflicted on them (civilrights.org). The targeted protest became infamous in the Civil Rights Movement, marked “Bloody Sunday” and was crucial to gaining favor of the public (civilrights.org). The two causes went hand in hand in this, rocketing in support and becoming the main goal of the country - the end of segregation was the most dire problem that the Civil Rights Movement needed to solve. And with the 24th Amendment, Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Voting Rights Act of 1965 being ratified, the civil rights movement and the fight to end segregation reached its legal goal (infoplease.com). However, the nation’s mentality needed work - though the popularity of Civil Rights was rising, many riots and racial hate crimes continued to occur throughout the country, with many casualties resulting from them (infoplease.com). The ratification of these laws may have made the “separate but equal” rhetoric illegal for the U.S. but the citizens inside it still battled for their beliefs. As segregation and civil rights become national topics, their

Freedom riders challenged the facilities they encountered at bus terminals in the south which had been deemed illegal by the supreme court doing that those were dangerous the things that happened were beatings and arrests for the many people who were in it even Lewis suffered through it.

During the freedom rides, African Americans would refuse to ride in black designated seats on public transportation. The creation of the Freedom Rides was one of the main movements of the CORE civil rights groups. One of the leaders, James Farmer, developed the type protest. The bus would travel down from Washington D.C. to New Orleans, Louisiana in an almost transcontinental nonviolent-protest. Farmers plan was imitated the Journey for Reconciliation. In May of 1961, an interracial collection of people boarded two buses from Washington to travel southward in protest of segregation. Known as the Greyhound and Trailways, the buses traveled peacefully throughout the country until they entered South Carolina. White racists outside of Rock Hill attacked the voyageurs. The ride became increasingly insecure the further south they traveled. A mob firebombed and attacked the members of the Greyhound bus in Anniston and another assaulted the Trailways’ riders in Birmingham. Although CORE discontinued the rides, many other riders assembled due to outrage over the violence displayed. A new wave of activists directed by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), including John Lewis, flooded Alabama where once again they were attacked in Montgomery. The significance of this the second wave of riders was that it forced the executive branch to act in response to the violence. Kennedy directed the Nation Guard to escort the riders their next destination of Mississippi. Kennedy’s brother Robert has the voyagers arrested for violating legislation set by pro-segregation officials in Mississippi and to prevent any further violence. James Farmer continued to encourage this type of protest and by the end of the season over 300 advocates had chose jail over fines to “dramatize” the issue. JFK’s forced recognition of the issues

By the late 1950s, the African American community was ready to fight for the major social change that it had always deserved. In the South, Jim Crow legislation had mandated "separate but equal" treatment for African Americans since 1876. African Americans were not given equality, however, and leaders emerged from the community to push for African American civil rights. In the effort to desegregate public buildings and transportation, people began to hold sit-ins. These involved peacefully occupying a space in a place such as a hotel, bus, or restaurant as an act of protest. Some early forms of the sit-in movement were the Freedom Rides, which were developed to test a 1946 Supreme Court decision declaring that segregation on interstate

From blacks getting beaten and mobbed to setting the bus on fire. In 1961, the blacks along with others like white people, had enough of the inequality they had to go through. A group of people known as the Freedom Riders, set out on a journey to the deep south to violate laws. The riders were mistreated but they did not give up, they risked their lives and soon their prayer of freedom was answered.

The fight for freedom was not an easy one for blacks. Years of racial bigotry programmed in society’s mind was the biggest hurdle for blacks in the US. You can change legislation but not the minds and behaviors of people. This made it imperative that black initiate different strategies to achieve the goal of being treated like a human being and having the same inalienable rights given to everyone else. They demonstrated peacefully and they demonstrated in ways that became violent. In the end, they got the attention they needed to begin change. Their fight not only gave rights to blacks but to all people.

It is hard to wrap my head around the fact that riding the bus can get one hurt and killed and how non-volient acts can lead to so much hate and violence. The Freedom Rides help bring attention to national level. The level of violence is extreme in response to a non-violent movement. The white supremacy was trying its best to make the colored population inferior. The segregation is a symbol of fear and hate. The press and television is a big part in the success of the movement. They help shape the public opinion toward segregation. The media brought the problem to our attention through dramatic and often disturbing photos and reports.

The respite from violent resistance was fleeting because soon after the Greyhound was burned, the Trailways bus arrived at the Anniston Terminal and eight Klansmen promptly boarded the bus and proceeded to beat the passengers. The Freedom Riders were attacked once again later on that same day at the Birmingham terminal where they were beaten by another white mob armed with bats, clubs, and pipes. This time the bus was burned because the local police, under the direct order of the Commissioner of Public Safety Eugene “Bull” Connor, were late arriving to the terminal. Violence continued to escalate as the Freedom Riders were once again beaten and this time John Seigenthaler, a representative of the Justice Department sent by Attorney General