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The Freedom Riders

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The Freedom Riders
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18 March 2013
Freedom Riders Backlash The Freedom Riders strive through a journey of hardships to have their point accepted by others, which was bus desegregation. Through the journey the Freedom Rides took some obstacles that affected them physically and mentally. They fought threw times like the downfalls that their movement brought and the mobs that greeted them in every state. The mobs were verbally and physically violent towards the Freedom Riders more than a few times while their movement went on. The Freedom Riders went through a devastating downfall through their movement. In May of 1961, the Greyhound carried the Freedom Riders into South Carolina where, like Carson’s article “SNCC” describes, “…John Lewis was the first to be hit as he approached the white waiting room” (SNCC 1). This was a downfall because they were trapped and injured, not being able to move on in their movement. The “MLKJ Research and Education Institute” stated that, “[…] from the attack of Lewis and another rider, the arrest of one participant attracted media coverage.” (MLKJ 1). Their arrival in South Carolina brought an impact on their movement; it began to be shown from each state.
As the Freedom Riders rode into Alabama, a furious mob crowded the Greyhound bus and sent it into flames without care for the people inside. The mob surrounded the bus and locked them inside. In Carmichael Stokleys “Freedom Riders”, she states that the Freedom Riders continued to fight for their rights as the bus was set on flames luckily, “ […] the passengers managed to escape[…]” (“Freedom Riders” 1). Imagining the Freedom Riders trapped in a bus and being set into flames must have been terrifying. Police that were found near the area of the incident were able to break up the scene. In another article, the author states that, “The bus was burned to the ground, but the group took another bus and continued the rides.” (SNCC 1). After this incident


Cited: "Freedom Riders." Carmichael, Stokely (1941-1998). N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013. "Freedom Rides." Freedom Rides. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. Gross, Terry. "Get On the Bus: The Freedom Riders of 1961." NPR. NPR, 12 Jan. 2006. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. "King, Martin Luther, Jr. (1929-1968)." King, Martin Luther, Jr. (1929-1968). N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2013. Thompson, Tamika. "Riding for Freedom." PBS. PBS, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2013. "SNCC 1960-1966: Six Years of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee."SNCC 1960-1966: Six Years of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.
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