Essay on Freedom Riders - 1426 Words

The Freedom Riders were a group of college students and leaders of various racial equality organizations, both blacks and whites, which tested the law of integration for public transportation. The law was instated, but Alabama especially didn’t follow it. The Freedom Riders rode buses into the cities to see if the townspeople accepted or declined the new law. They in turn ended up beating, pummeling, and chasing the riders out of town with the white mobs. The Freedom Riders violently fought the segregation of blacks and whites for public transportation systems, and their victory led to the integration of many other places and the making of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Freedom Riders started their trip from Washington D.C. on May†¦show more content†¦The riders were beaten again by another mob (Powledge 255). The Freedom Riders then proceeded to head down South to Birmingham, Alabama on May 20, 1961, at 8:30 A.M. CST from the Greyhound Bus Station to test the newl y instated law involving the integration for public transportation. The spokesman for the group was a twenty-one year old named John Lewis. They were led by police vehicles on the highway and followed by undercover cop cars for protection. When they arrived at 10:23 A.M. CST they were bombarded by a mob of people (Loory 573). A white male named James Peck was beaten unconsciously and needed 56 stitches to close up his head wounds (Powledge 255). Stuart H. Loory, a reporter who trailed the journey of the Freedom Riders’ bus, states in great detail that, â€Å"The mob had first pummeled three National Broadcasting Co. newsmen and several other photographers, smashing their equipment. Then it turned to vent its unsatisfied fury on the band of students who stood quietly on the bus platform, apparently not knowing what to do after completing the ride from Birmingham.† The mobsters used everything imaginable to beat the riders. Loory had been on the platform, escaped withou t injury, and witnessed this as follows, Using metal pipes, baseball bats, sticks, and fists, the mob surged on the small group of Freedom Riders, clubbing, punching, chasing, and beating both whites and Negroes. When some of the bus riders began toShow MoreRelatedThe Freedom Riders1204 Words   |  5 PagesBBB Period N 18 March 2013 Freedom Riders Backlash The Freedom Riders strive through a journey of hardships to have their point accepted by others, which was bus desegregation. Through the journey the Freedom Rides took some obstacles that affected them physically and mentally. They fought threw times like the downfalls that their movement brought and the mobs that greeted them in every state. The mobs were verbally and physically violent towards the Freedom Riders more than a few times whileRead MoreEssay about Freedom Riders1575 Words   |  7 Pages Freedom Riders â€Å"Freedom Riders† were a group of people, both black and white, who were civil rights activists from the North who â€Å"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 â€Å"a coldly calculated attemptRead MoreFreedom Riders: Rebels with a Cause1400 Words   |  6 PagesFreedom Riders: Rebels with a Cause â€Å"If not us, then who? If not now, then when? Will there be a better day for it tomorrow or next year? Will it be less dangerous then? Will someone else’s children have to risk their lives instead of us risking ours?† -- John Lewis May 16, 1961, to other Nashville students considering joining the Freedom Rides John Lewis, a young black man who was born in the South, participated in the Freedom Rides. His statement rang true when Nashville students were facedRead MoreAn Analysis of Freedom Riders: The Documentary by Stanley Nelson1674 Words   |  7 Pages 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 culminatedRead MoreThe Freedom Riders : A Powerful And Inspiring Documentary On The Six Years996 Words   |  4 PagesThe â€Å"Freedom Riders† was a powerful and inspiring documentary on the six months of 1961 that altered America’s hi story. More than four hundred African Americans and whites put their lives in danger, bearing mob beatings and incarceration, as they travelled through the Deep South in numerous buses from May until November of 1961. As the freedom riders knowingly violated Jim Crow laws, they were confronted with cruel racism and violence which painfully pushed against their mindset of nonviolent activismRead MoreFreedom Riders, By John Lewis, A Former Freedom Rider1087 Words   |  5 PagesThis quote from John Lewis, a former Freedom Rider I believe with those words perfectly describes why these Freedom Riders began their journey. After reading the textbook, Visions of America and watching the video clip from American Experience of Freedom Riders I was able to make myself knowledgeable about Freedom Riders. Both the textbook and the video I thought engaged me into the information I was either reading or listening. So, what exactly are Freedom Riders, what were the impacts of this eventRead MoreF reedom Riders Speech788 Words   |  4 Pagessegregation that it eventually led to violence. In 1960, a group of brave people of a variety races came up with the idea of â€Å"Freedom Rides†. They knew the consequences of their cause, a 13 person group, protesting against something that most of the world stood for, and yet they still did everything they could do , to help end it. The Freedom Riders’ goals were to â€Å"challenge the non-enforcement of the united states supreme court decisions Morgan vs. virginia† (quizlet.com)Read MoreThe Freedom Riders Essay1553 Words   |  7 PagesSouth. At this time, segregation was legal. In 1892, the Supreme Court had ruled that a state could separate whites and blacks as long as the services were equal. On May 4, 1961, a diverse group of thirteen courageous individuals known as the Freedom Riders embarked on a bus journey into the South in order to challenge segregation in bus terminals. Although many individuals believed that segregation was wrong, many southern states continued to practice racial segregation. Racial segregation isRead MoreEssay On Freedom Riders738 Words   |  3 PagesThe Freedom Riders were remarkable, fearless Americans. They were extraordinary, ordinary people . . . young people who took the reins of history and wouldnt let go.† -Mark Samels, American Experience Executive Producer. This documentary showed a very dark time of American history, but in the dark is where the heroes come along. The people who took a stand and took part in the Freedom Rider is truly brave, and fearless, they are the people who made the America. Originally the Freedom Riders startedRead MoreThe Freedom Riders Essay1090 Words   |  5 PagesThe 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 â€Å"separate but equal.† They had also set out to defy the Jim Crow Laws. The Freedom Riders