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Start of Freedom Rides
The Freedom Riders left from Washington DC. One of the main goals of the Freedom Rides was to get the movement into the Deep South. The riders had no protection on this ride, they were going down there on their own. The first two days were uneventful and many riders began to think that it wasn’t going to be as bad as they thought. -
Atlanta, Georgia
The rides stopped in Atlanta, GA and were able to meet MLK. They were excited and honored to meet him and hear him speak but were disappointed with what he had to say. He advised that they go back home and not continue into Alabama. -
Bus Attack cont.
The passengers were trapped in the bus and when the fuel tank exploded, it gave them a way out because the mob fled from the scene then. -
KKK Attack
The Trailways bus arrived in Birmingham but they did now know about the Grey Hound bus being destroyed. In Birmingham, the KKK made a deal with the Birmingham Police. The agreement stated that the police would not arrive at the scene, the bus stop that the KKK planned to mob when the Freedom Riders arrived, for 15 minutes which meant the KKK could do whatever they wanted to the passengers for that time. They were also guaranteed that no one would be arrested. -
KKK Attack cont.
There was a mass brawl and not one rider fought back in attempt to keep it a peaceful protest. After this, the Freedom Rides were over because the bus driver refused to drive them anywhere. -
Bus Attack
Two buses, Grey Hound and Trailways, carrying Freedom Riders left Atlanta for Birmingham, but only one made it there. At a bus stop in Anniston, a group of white men gathered to meet the riders when they arrived. When the bus, Grey Hound, got to its stop, the driver got out and saw the tires were low and then left, which meant he left the riders alone on the bus to fend for themselves against the mob. -
Second Riders
A second group of Freedom Riders left for Birmingham. Most of the riders had to drop out of school in order to participate in the ride. When they arrived in Birmingham, the police arrested certain Freedom Riders for their safety. But, at 1:00 AM, the police took them all out of jail, drove them to the Alabama- Tennessee state line and told them to get on a train back to Nashville. -
Meeting in Montgomery
A mass meeting was called at the First Baptist Church to help, support, and protect the Freedom Riders. The citizens that attended the meeting were more excited to see the Freedom Riders rather than MLK or any other speaker. During the meeting, riots began at the church and people believed it would be set on fire. Montgomery was placed under Martial Law. -
Parchman Prison
When the riders get to Mississippi, some are taken to Parchman. This is considered one of the worst prisons in the South. The Parchman Prison became a new spot for the Civil Rights Movement. Of the 430 Freedom Riders, 300 were place in Parchman. By putting all these people in the same place, it unified riders from all over the country. -
ICC Desegregates
Bobby Kennedy went to the ICC to attempt to desegregate the bus lines. In the meantime, he asks the riders to stop their project because the buses were going to be desegregated eventually, but that only made more people want to join. The ICC finally desegregated buses, waiting rooms, bathrooms, etc. It was then illegal to have "white only" signs anywhere.
