Freedom riders and the civil rights movement

Freedom Riders

The purpose of the Freedom Rides was to draw attention to the racial disparities and racism that existed in the United States in 1961 at the time of the rides. The riders were going to ride on integrated buses through the South where the racism was most intense. They were looking to encounter situations in which there was prejudice and bigotry so that they could provide an example to the rest of the country regarding how bad conditions were in this part of the country. Essentially, they were looking to get into trouble at the hands of bigots, Ku Klux Klan members, and southern traditionalists so they could get publicity to the group that implemented this idea, the Congress Of Racial Equality.

Yes, the Freedom Riders were successful in attaining their objectives. They encountered a bevy of violence and trouble on their journey, and were able to raise attention to the racism, bigotry, and lack of justice in the South The fact that this film was created about this ride is indicative of that success.

The basic strategy of the Freedom Riders was to drive on unprotected, chartered buses into the heart of some of the most racist places in the country. They were to engage with the locals upon arriving in these towns and gauge the reaction of these locals at the fact that they were on integrated buses. Moreover, they were to go into segregated businesses seeking service for African-Americans. Their principle tactics involved non-violence and the show of goodwill in the fact of adversity -- which they hoped would be a remarkable contrast with the reaction they were anticipating.

The Freedom Riders received the most trouble in the state of Alabama. Within its state limits, the first group of Freedom Riders saw one of their buses bombed and decimated. They were also critically beaten and extensively injured. The damage was so extensive that when one of bus's groups wanted to keep going after such an experience, no bus driver was willing to drive the bus for the journey to continue. The group of Freedom Riders that continued from Nashville after these two initial buses funded by CORE effectively gave up, were promptly arrested by Bull Connor when they entered Alabama and made it to Birmingham. The group was also deported. In Alabama, the Freedom Riders had to fear both the Ku Klux Klan as well as the authorities.

A fair amount of the Freedom Riders were jailed. However, it is significant to note that of the initial group from CORE, none of the Freedom Riders were jailed (they were merely beaten into submission). Yet when the group of Freedom Riders that was comprised of students in Nashville reached Alabama, all of them were jailed.

The conditions of the jails that quartered the Freedom Riders were fairly disgusting. They were not well kept or maintained. It seemed as though these jails were specifically designed to dispirit this group of travelers and to encourage them to give up their pursuits so segregation could reign.

The state of race relations in the South was very bad. It was largely segregated to the point where state legislation opposed federal legislation regarding the integration of buses. Furthermore, there were a number of people and groups such as the Ku Klux Klan that violently opposed integration.