Freedom Riders

Nevertheless, the Revisionist historian, Dennis Chong looked at the Civil Rights Movement and believed this was responsible for the advancement of civil rights for African Americans. He assumed that “throughout the civil rights struggle, the movement’s leaders had initiated bold new tactics such as the freedom rides, sit-ins and boycotts at a strategic moment to reinvigorate the movement and foil the counterstrategies of the southern authorities.” Freedom riders were civil rights activists who would travel on Greyhound and Trailway buses into the segregated Southern United States in 1961. They did this to challenge the non-enforcement of the Supreme Court’s decision in 1946 of the Morgan v. Virginia which made segregation in interstate transportation
Chong suggests that the “freedom riders were reluctant to give up.” This is appreciated because the efforts of the Freedom Riders were compensated after a long-time of risking their lives when the Interstate Commerce Commission finally decided on September 22, 1961, to stop discrimination and segregation in interstate travel. This helped to improve civil rights of African Americans from 1880-1980. They also gained widespread publicity which inspired others to take up the cause and so was helped further by it. Mark Samels, an Executive Producer said "the Freedom Riders were remarkable, fearless Americans. They were extraordinary, ordinary people . . . young people who took the reins of history and wouldn't let go.” This shows that the credibility inspired many subsequent civil rights campaigns including Martin Luther King Jr to carry out his famous speech called ‘I have a dream’. His speech is very well respected due to the fact that it led to the introduction of the Civil Rights Act 1964 and the Voting Rights 1965. These Acts allowed people to come together and sit with each other in transport as it banned segregation. Ultimately, it enabled blacks and whites to have similar rights to each
Walker’ claimed that “Rosa Parks had the discipline and the consciousness and the awareness to be the person to represent herself and represent African-Americans who were trying to make a difference.” This suggests she started off the Civil Rights Movement which led to the advancement of civil rights for African Americans. However, it can be argued that it was the presidents that led to the advancement of civil rights for African Americans because it was Roosevelt who implemented non-discriminatory policies, for example in 1941 when the Executive Order 8802 was issued. This officially declared that “there shall be no discrimination in the employment of workers in defence industries and in government, because of race, creed, colour, or national origin.” It allowed African Americans to advance their civil rights because it was the first Presidential Directive on race-related issues since the Reconstruction. The order also established the Fair Employment Practices Committee to investigate incidents of discrimination.
Despite this setback, it can still be argued that the Civil Rights Movement was responsible for the advancement of civil rights for African-Americans from 1880-1980. It allowed the implementation of the Civil Rights Act 1964 which outlawed segregation and the Voting Rights Act 1965 which enabled African Americans to have the same voting rights as whites. However, it can be contended