The 1961 Freedom Riders' fight against segregation in America

In 1946, the Supreme Court’s Morgan v. Virginia court decision ruled that segregated interstate bus travel was unconstitutional.

However, this decision was not enforced, and segregated travel continued unabated.

Then, following the arrest of Rosa Parks, the Montgomery Bus Boycott occurred in 1955-1956.

This successful boycott, which was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., resulted in the desegregation of Montgomery’s bus system. 

Then, in 1960, another supreme court decision, called Boynton v. Virginia found that segregation in interstate bus terminals was also unconstitutional.

This decision should have put an end to segregated travel, but again, it was not enforced.

This created a problem for the civil rights movement because it now had to find a way to challenge segregation laws without breaking any laws.

The solution was the Freedom Rides. 

Activists from the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) decided to test the new law by riding buses through the American South.

They would start in Washington, D.C., and ride through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.

The Freedom Riders would use both “white” and “colored” restrooms and lunch counters at bus terminals along the way. 

The Freedom Rides began on the 4th of May, 1961, when thirteen protestors, seven black and six whites, boarded two Greyhound buses in Washington D.C.

They intended to arrive in New Orleans on May 17 to celebrate the anniversary of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education court ruling that found that segregated public schools were unconstitutional.

The start of the journey was relatively uneventful. They faced no problems as they drove through the states of Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia.

The first negative experience occurred on the 12th of May when they had stopped at a Greyhound bus terminal at Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Three of the riders were attacked for attempting to use the “whites only” restroom.  Despite the violence, they continued on.

The Freedom Riders arrived in Alabama on May 14th. They were met with a large crowd of around 200 angry white people at the bus terminal in Anniston.

The crowd was armed with iron bars, clubs, and chains. Fearing for his passengers' safety, the driver chose to drive past the station, but the crowd followed. 

The bus had to stop at a gas station about 6 miles outside of Anniston when the tires went flat.

The crowd attacked the bus, slashed its tires, and threw a fire bomb inside. The bomb exploded, and the riders had to escape through the windows as the mob outside beat them.

Fortunately, all passengers managed to escape before the bus burst into flames.

Photographs of the burning Greyhound bus, which had been taken by journalists who were following the protest, were published on front pages of newspapers around the country.

This drew national and international attention to their cause and created sympathy for their plight.

The Freedom Riders arrived in Birmingham on 17th of May where they were again met by an angry mob.

The police did nothing to stop the violence, and the riders were beaten with clubs and chains. Some of them were hospitalised with serious injuries.

Despite the violence, all of the riders were arrested for defying segregation laws and “breaching the peace”. 

The Freedom Riders spent two weeks in jail before the US Attorney General, Robert Kennedy, (brother of President John F. Kennedy) negotiated with the Governor of Alabama for their release.

Once freed, Kennedy also arranged for a police escort to protect their bus until they reached the city of Montgomery.

At the Montgomery bus station, the state troopers left the protestors, as local police were to take over the escort role for freedom riders.

However, the police never arrived. Without protection, the riders were attacked and beaten again. In response, President Kennedy sent 400 US Marshalls to provide protection for the final stage of their journey.

On the 24th of May 1961, the Freedom Riders arrived in Jackson, Mississippi. They were arrested for attempting to use white facilities and were charged for trespassing. 

On the 29th of May 1961, the president announced a ban on segregation in all bus facilities.

The new ban took effect on the 1st of November 1961, which brought the Freedom Rides to an end. 

The Freedom Rides helped bring about change by raising awareness of segregation laws in the American South.

They also showed that there was a need for better enforcement of these laws. The courage of the Freedom Riders inspired others to take a stand against segregation and helped pave the way for future civil rights victories.

One of the most famous of the Freedom Riders was John Lewis. He later went on to become a US Congressman and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. 

The Freedom Rides were an important moment in the American Civil Rights Movement.

They showed that there was a need for better enforcement of civil rights laws and inspired others to take a stand against segregation.