1. Freedom Riders

2. Founding and Purpose On May 4 th of 1961, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) organized “Freedom Rides.” To integrate blacks’ and whites’ rights

3. First Freedom Riders 13 blacks and whites Boarded two buses Goal-Washington D.C. to New Orleans

4. Protests Blacks- Sat in white-reserved bus seats Would use white-only facilities when resting

5. Violence in Alabama Anniston- One of the buses was firebombed and the other had its passengers beaten by K.K.K. members who entered the bus Birmingham- Freedom riders were beaten with baseball bats and iron pipes

6. Escort to Montgomery Alabama Highway Patrol Abandoned buses at city limits Were mobbed by whites at bus stop Freedom rides were temporarily stopped until replacements arrived

7. John F. Kennedy President of the United States during 1961 Allowed Mississippi and Alabama police to arrest segregation law violators as long as they stopped violent outbreaks All freedom riders to violate segregation laws after May 23 rd, 1961 in Mississippi or Alabama were unharmed by mobs, arrested by police, and had their rides discontinued

8. http://video.pbs.org/video/1560115371