Freedom Rides
Lesson starter:
Which protest of the Civil Rights movement do
you believe was more successful;
• the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
• the Sit Ins?
Provide reasons for your answer.
Today we will…
• Understand the events of the Freedom
Rides in 1961
• Assess the importance of the protest
Background…
• A new law passed by the
Supreme Court had banned
segregation in public areas
such as bathrooms, waiting
rooms and restaurants for
people travelling on interstate buses
• A group called CORE
(Congress of Racial Equality)
wanted to see if segregation
had really ended
What were Freedom Rides?
• 13 CORE members
travelled from
Washington to New
Orleans in May 1961
• Along the way the
Black riders would
use ‘white only’
washrooms and
waiting rooms
What happened?
• They were met by heavy
resistance from whites
along the way
• The Klan was waiting for
the freedom riders in
Anniston, Alabama
• The two ‘Freedom’ buses
were stopped and burned
• Passengers were beaten
up
• The same happened in
Birmingham, Alabama
Freedom Rider James
Peck had 50 stitches in
his head
Freedom Rider Jim Zwerg
Many Freedom Riders were arrested and jailed for
taking part in the protests
Martin Luther King was so
worried about the students’
safety he urged them to stop
the Freedom Rides
Government involvement
• JFK sent an advisor to
investigate the freedom
rides
• When he arrived, he was
beaten unconscious
• Media coverage of the
violence the Freedom Riders
met was widespread
• Police escorts were sent for
the riders (but this did not
end violence)
• CORE and another
group the SNCC
refused to end the
Freedom Rides
even though they
were urged to by
MLK, government,
authorities etc
• Eventually, an order
was sent to all
interstate bus
companies to end
segregation at bus
stations
• By late 1961 this
extended to
airports and railway
stations
With a partner, come
up with a list of
positives and
negatives of the
Freedom Rides
• Freedom Rides
Good
• Washrooms and waiting
rooms in interstate bus
stations were desegregated
• They showed that nonviolent
protest could change the law
• White Americans in the
North felt sympathy for the
Civil Rights Movement
• They showed people the
brutality of the KKK
• Freedom Rides
Bad
• People were badly injured on
the Freedom Rides
• Some people felt the
Freedom Riders were foolish
for not bringing an end to
the protest after the
violence
• Some people felt the
Freedom Rides did not do
very much to change the
country as a whole
Today we will…
• Understand the events of the Freedom
Rides in 1961
• Assess the importance of the protest