Violence In The Freedom Rides

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

A group of people risked their life to obtain equality for African Americans in the south. The Freedom Riders were a group of around 13 people. Most of them were African Americans but there were always a few white skinned people in the group as well. There was no set leader for the Freedom Riders. The Freedom Riders rode interstate buses into the Southern United States. The south was referred to as the most segregated part of the U.S. The main goal of the Freedom Riders was to desegregate and become “separate but equal.” They had also set out to defy the Jim Crow Laws. The Freedom Riders had a little bit of help from two court cases: Irene Morgan v. Commonwealth of Virginia and Boynton v. Virginia. These court cases ruled that it was

Following, on May 4, 1961, a mixed group of 13 African Americans and white civil rights activist led the Freedom Rides (Freedom Rides?). Similar, to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Freedom Rides traveled to various cities in the south to protest against segregation of the bus terminals. History.com staff concurs “the Freedom Rides, a series of bus trips through the American South to protest segregation in interstate bus terminals.” The purpose of the freedom riders was to openly disobey the Jim Crow laws in the south in a nonviolent fashion. This was a dangerous journey, many of these people were beaten, arrested, and even the buses were destroyed. Yet, they persevered (“Freedom Riders: The Nashville Connection”). History.com staff, adds “The Freedom Riders, were recruited by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a U.S. civil rights group, they departed from Washington D.C., and attempted to integrate facilities at bus terminals along the way in the Deep South.” African Americans would try to use the “whites only” bathrooms and counters, which attracted attention and violence (Freedom Rides). According to the history.com staff due to the efforts of the Freedom Rides, “in September 1961, the interstate Commerce Commission issued regulations prohibiting segregation in bus and train nationwide.” The

Another tactic used in the Civil Rights Movement (CRM) was challenging state laws about the mixing of multiple races. This strategy was put to the test in 1961 when eight white men and eight african americans rode interstate buses through Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky, triggering harassment and arrest. An original intention of this action, also known as the Journey for Reconciliation, was to raise awareness towards the organization CORE and help society realize how segregation was affecting the struggling communities. (Zunes and Laird 2010, The US Civil Rights Movement (1942-1968).) CORE, although a consistently small organization, made the freedom rides successful by conducting multiple sit-ins, such as Chicago in 1942, St. Lewis in 1949, and Baltimore in 1959. They also collaborated with the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) in 1947 for the first freedom ride. (Zunes and Laird 2010, The US Civil Rights Movement (1942-1968).) However, even with CORE executing these plans, there were still some amazing and bold leaders fighting in and out of the sit-ins. James Lawson passed his powerful beliefs on along with the principles of Gandhian nonviolence to train potential future front runners. He also became the field secretary for FOR and in his time there arranged the Nashville Student Movement's sit-in campaign of 1960. Another key figure in the freedom rides was Joseph Perkins from Owensboro, Kentucky, the Field Secretary of CORE starting from 1960. He was

"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.

I learned about finishing the history work which were given by Dr. Sayles and Dr. Marcus; they also told me to quote where I got the information when writing the history report. Dr. Marcus told me to subtitle the paragraphs so that my report is organized. As proceeded on completing this thesis, I came to the understanding that the Freedom Riders were significant on desegregating buses in the Deep South, despite obstacles such as sending the protectors to jail and J. Edgar Hoover not helping the Riders by not sending police when the Riders were beaten by the Ku Klux

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

They refused to move to the segregated spots on the bus once they arrived in a segregated state. The events that caused the Freedom Riders was the segregation on public transportation. Some groups that were involved in the Freedom Riders were the Congress on Racial Equality, since the organization recruited the Freedom Riders, and also the Interstate Commerce Commission, because that organization was the one to prohibit segregation on busses and trains throughout America in September 1961(“Freedom Riders”). There was a need for the formation of the freedom Riders because it was clear to many people that segregation on public transportation was not only an outdated practice, but also racist, it needed to be stopped once and for

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.

Stanley Nelson chronicles the journey of a group of individuals, known as the Freedom Riders, whom fought for the rights of African Americans to have the same amenities and access as the Caucasians. The purpose of the Freedom Rides was to deliberately violate the Jim Crow laws of the south that prohibited blacks and whites from mixing together on buses and trains. Expectedly, many of the Freedom Riders were beaten and the majority was imprisoned. This carried on for the majority of 1961 and culminated with the Interstate Commerce Commission issuing an order to end the segregation in bus and rail stations. Nelson encapsulates this entire movement in about two hours. At the end of the two hours, the viewer is emotionally tied to the

During the Freedom Riders’ travels, they encounter plenty of angry mobs willing to kill anyone in support of the rights of African Americans being moved forward. Regardless of race, many Riders have been mercilessly beaten. A recent incident involved Jim Zwerg, originally from Wisconsin, who was sympathetic to the movement. He boarded a bus with a group of Freedom Riders in Nashville and got off in Montgomery. As he was leaving the bus, an angry mob of segregationists attacked him, and beat him to a pulp. This is just one of many examples of the violence that this decidedly non-violent movement faced. Due to the common extreme violence that happens, the media is very engaged in the movement. Reporters often capture pictures of the unsolicited

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.

“Freedom Riders” were a group of people, both black and white, who were civil rights activists from the North who “meant to demonstrate that segregated travel on interstate buses, even though banned by an I.C.C. Ruling, were still being enforced throughout much of the South” (The South 16). The Riders attempted to prove this by having a dozen or so white and black Freedom Riders board buses in the North and travel through Southern cities. This was all “a coldly calculated attempt to speed up integration by goading the South, forcing the Southern extremists to explode their tempers” ('Freedom Riders' 20). The author of the Newsweek article stated this as the Southern opinion of the reason for the Freedom Riders. The

As a response, the Congress of Racial Equality—also known as CORE—and the Fellowship of Reconciliation decided to arrange interracial and bus rides across state lines. The Journey of Reconciliation, as they were called, decided to focus on the rampant bus segregation of the upper South, but avoided the more dangerous and risky areas of the deep south. Unfortunately, there was a lack of media attention and, ultimately, CORE's goals and rides went unnoticed. In 1961, however, new—and successful—Freedom Rides were actualized. CORE partnered with student activists to continue previous efforts made to fight segregated bus rides and bus terminals. On May 4, 1961, two buses began the trip from Washington DC to New Orleans. They riders were met with little resistance and violence until they arrived in Rockhill, South Carolina. There were many violent beatings and arrests of the riders. The events in Rockhill, South Carolina initiated the national media coverage of the rides. On May 14, the Freedom Rides arrived in Anniston, Alabama. There, the riders were met with a violent mob of regular citizens and Ku Klux Klan members. Local authorities, lead by Birmingham Commissioner of Public Safety Eugene “Bull” Connor—who was known as an