Freedom Riders Research Paper

Words: 626

Pages: 3

Open Document

The federal government took many steps to end the discrimination and persecution of those participating in the Freedom Ride. A Greyhound bus carrying Freedom Riders arrived in Anniston, Alabama, on May 14, 1961. There, an angry mob of about two hundred white people surrounded the bus, blew the tires of the bus, and hurled bombs, setting fire. As the Freedom Riders escaped the bus, the surrounding white men brutally beat them.

As a result of this incident, finding a new driver for the Riders proved challenging. U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy began negotiating with Governor John Patterson of Alabama and Greyhound to secure a driver and state protection for the group of Freedom Riders. Robert F. Kennedy states, “Around 11 o'clock, I talked to Mr. Seigenthaler, and the governor at that time assured Mr. Seigenthaler that we have the means, the ability, and the will to protect these people." “He gave us his flat word and assurance …show more content…
Upon the ride, a fellow Rider stated, “When we saw the protection that we had, we got relaxed and we sang a few freedom songs, and as a matter of fact, I dozed off. felt safe!”. Upon entering Montgomery, the police ended the escort, leaving the bus. Without any protection, upon stopping at a bus station, the bus was attacked by a white mob. This resulted in Robert Kennedy having to send in four hundred Federal Marshalls to end the violence.

The following night, 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 broke out outside the church, and King called Robert Kennedy to ask for protection. Kennedy called upon the federal marshals to remove the white mob and dispatched the National Guard to restore order. King Jr. states, “The city is now under Marshall law, and troops are on their way

Freedom Riders Research Paper

Greensboro Four, The Freedom Riders aimed to dismantle segregation laws in the South, however, not just in places like North Carolina; we are talking the deepest South. While desegregation was issued by the courts however, Jim Crow in the south had prevented blacks from having the natural rights they sought. The Freedom Riders’ goal was to test Jim Crow and fight for the natural rights of their people. The first freedom ride left D.C on May…

Words 975 - Pages 4

Freedom Riders Research Paper

Why the Freedom Riders were important to the Civil Rights Movement because they brought national attention to themselves. The police’s and citizen’s actions towards them brought the attention of the Kennedy administration, in which Kennedy decided to send 400 federal marshals to protect the Freedom Riders. The Kennedy administration also pushed the Interstate Commerce Commission to order desegregation of the interstate level. The Freedom Rides were organized by CORE and SNCC, and after the protests…

Words 466 - Pages 2

Freedom Riders Research Paper

two-week bus ride to draw attention to states in the Deep South that refused to enforce federal anti-segregation laws. They even gave the ride a name: “Freedom Ride” (Shoup Kate 5). This story of how Freedom Riders started and began the movement is very crucial to having the base or knowledge about this important group. In this episode, the Freedom Riders commence the trip, and some ideas come out. The purpose of this movement is to defend their rights and be treated as normal people without discrimination…

Words 800 - Pages 4

Freedom Riders Research Paper

Could you imagine yourself being beaten up, incarcerated or even killed, for attempting to enjoy the same rights and privileges others did? I guess not. This is why the Freedom Riders began. Tired of the abuse, they decided to act against the discrepancies the skin-colored race suffered from on a daily basis. Back in the decade of the 1950s and 60s, black children had to attend separate schools and buses had designated separate seating areas for black and white passengers. Neither could black people…

Words 559 - Pages 3

Freedom Riders Research Paper

killed people who voice opinions that were against them, but that only help push the Civil Rights Movement. The KKK tormented the freedom riders but that only backfired when more people began to support the freedom riders. During the Anniston, Alabama trip some Freedom Riders were attacked by the KKK. The racist thugs smashed windows, slashed tires and threatened the Riders before local police escorted the bus out of town.They were forced to pull over because a long line of cars and trucks followed…

Words 861 - Pages 4

Motorcycle Helmets Essay

protective equipment, obedience to the rules of road and safe riding. The purpose of this research paper is to explain which laws and regulations when applied to motorcycle riders save the most lives. This glaring difference between a motorcycle and a car is the lack of any protection from the road or obstructions. “NHTSA has estimated that 80 percent of motorcycle crashes injure or kill a motorcycle rider, while only 20 percent of passenger car crashes injure or kill an occupant” (Ecola 33). The…

Words 2711 - Pages 11

Essay on American Drama: Dune by Frank Herbert

In Frank Herbert’s novel, Dune, there is a mantra called the Litany Against Fear that says, “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” Fear is one of the strongest emotions that drive human beings. It has helped to generate some of our…

Words 7629 - Pages 31

Bootlegging and Piracy Essay

just been released and upload it directly to the internet. Once uploaded to the internet anybody can directly download it via torrents. Torrents are just large files that are broken up for faster downloading. According to an article in the Knight Rider Tribune, in the summer of 2002 The release of the summer's first blockbuster movies has sparked an unprecedented frenzy of film piracy, sending nearly 10 million people online to download bootleg copies of "Spider-Man" or "Star Wars: Episode II --…

Words 1125 - Pages 5

American Experience Since 1945

Syllabus HIS145 Version 4 College of Humanities Syllabus HIS/145 The American Experience Since 1945 College of Humanities Course Start Date 10/08/2012 Course End Date Group Number Meeting Times Workshop Dates Learning Center 11/05/2012 YUEL12-1 6-10PM 10/08/12, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29, 11/05/2012 Yuma Learning Center 899 East Plaza Circle, Yuma, Arizona - 85365 Phone: 928.341.0233 FACILITATOR INFORMATION NAME: George Thomson gthomson@email.uophx.edu (University of Phoenix) teachweborg@gmail.com …

Words 6044 - Pages 25

Essay about Buddhist Elements in the Film - "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring"

BUDDHIST ELEMENTS IN THE FILM “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring” Film “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring” unfolds a pastoral and spiritual journey in the serene and timeless Buddhist temple which is afloat on the lake surrounded by the deep mountains. Within the setting of such calm unworldliness, director Kim Ki-duk portrays the life of a Buddhist monk from childhood to old age in the flow of four seasons. Kim depicts two important Buddhist themes in his film; the development…

Words 1980 - Pages 8