The Freedom Riders
Main Events:
• In 1960 the supreme court decided that segregation of
interstate transport facilities including buses was
unconstitutional which led the freedom riders to test that in
1961 to see if it was upheld by the law.
• A group of 13 freedom riders of seven African Americans and
six whites went on a bus on May 4th, 1961, and they planned
to reach New Orleans, Louisiana. They travelled through
Virginia, North Carolina and drew public attention.
• Violent incidents occurred on May 12th in Rock Hill, where
they were viciously attacked attempting to enter a whites-only
waiting area. They were attacked in Alabama, where the bus
where the riders were was surrounded by an angry mob of 200
white which caused the bus to miss the stop where the mob
followed and someone through a bomb into the bus. The
Freedom Riders escaped the bus while it was burning to only
be beaten up by the mob outside.
• The second bus, a Trailways vehicle, travelled to Birmingham,
Alabama, and the freedom riders on board were also beaten by
an angry white mob, many had metal pipes. Birmingham
Public Safety Commissioner Bull Connor stated that, even
though he knew that the Freedom Riders were arriving and
people were ready to harm them, he did not send any police to
protect them at the station because it was Mother’s Day.
Police did not interfere, and the Federal Marshals had to be
called by Robert F. Kennedy.
• The night after the event, civil rights leader Martin Luther
King Jr. led a service at the First Baptist Church in
Montgomery, which was attended by more than one thousand
supporters of the Freedom Riders. A riot ensued outside the
church, and King called Robert Kennedy to ask for protection.
• The violence and arrests continued to garner national and
international attention and drew hundreds of new Freedom
Riders to the cause. The rides continued over the next several
months, and in the fall of 1961, under pressure from the
Kennedy administration, the Interstate Commerce
Commission issued regulations prohibiting segregation in
interstate transit terminals.
The Main Participants of the Movement:
Martin Luther King Jr Robert F. Kennedy
John Lewis The Freedom Riders
Freedom Riders on a Greyhound bus sponsored by the Congress of
Racial Equality (CORE), sit on the ground outside the bus after it was
set afire by a group of whites who met the Black and white group on
arrival here, Anniston, Ala., May 14, 1961. Underwood Archives
What factors led to the failure or success of the movement:
Their main goal was to desegregate interstate transportation, including
bus stops, and train terminals. They were successful due to many factors
one of the main ones being that it was a law beforehand which allowed
them to have a justification for their actions and have support from the
government. Through non-obedience and non-violent measures, they
were able to gain support from the community. Allowing for great public
speakers such as Martin Luther King Jr to jump on the bandwagon and
support the freedom riders in their quest for freedom which got more
people to join them and inspire more people to join the freedom riders
and go through with these acts of freedom although this led to more
violence which gathered more support for the freedom riders. With their
actions and the support of Kennedy which finally allowed them to gain
their freedom in the end resulting in a positive change in the south
allowing for more black rights.
Identify the main changes and results of the action
or event:
The main change of the movement was the desegregation of
transportation in the southern states of America, which they achieved in
the end. This was a result of not only the freedom rider’s actions but
indirectly the white people who attacked them which helped support
their cause and help highlight the issue to the overall people of the U.S
which truly resulted in change by the outraged people who felt heavily
affected by what occurred. Martin Luther King’s speech also allowed for
greater change and action to occur. Robert F. Kennedy also played an
important role in the change by forcing Federal Marshals to act when the
police did not, which resulted in further change and belief in the potential
freedom of the black community. Through his actions this helped the free
riders in achieving their main goals.
John Lewis, top left, was among the Freedom Riders who were arrested in
Jackson, Miss., in May 1961, and hastily convicted of breach of peace.
Credit...
Mississippi Department of Archives and History