The Pros And Cons Of The Freedom Riders

By the late 19th century segregation of black and whites had become an entrenched way of life in the south. In December 1960 another Supreme Court ruling declared segregated restrooms, restaurants, and waiting rooms for interstate bus, train and plane passengers unconstitutional. 5 months later that law would be severely tested by Freedom Riders. The Freedom rides were organized by James Farmer; director of The Congress of Racial Equality, or CORE, a civil rights organization rooted in philosophy of non-violence. Farmer, who was arrested with other Freedom Riders, launched the movement to draw attention to the lack of enforcement of recent civil rights court decisions and legislations. As Freedom Riders rode into the south, the campaign gained

There has been many things that America is not proud of as a country, but one cannot truly say that every incident that happens in this country is not a part of our rich history; good or bad. Because of The Freedom Ride and all the violence and countless arrest it caused national attention. People all over the world were seeing all the horrific activities that was going on in the United States. Although, these events portray the American society in a very negative image, it would be wrong to say something positive did not come out of it. With all the country watching and news being spread throughout the nation, many, even hundreds of people; both white and black came together to become Freedom Riders. These rides gained the national attention from so many people coming from all over the United States causing them to get on busses from major cities down to Mississippi. They did not fear the violence, arrest, or even death. This is the positive image America portrays. People were fighting for what they believed in regardless of all the circumstances that stood in their way. People believed and were able to put their life down for the cause of integration within the American society. It goes to show how much progress we have made, how far we have come as a nation. It the circumstances that happened in Alabama or Mississippi hadn’t occurred it would be safe to say an important part of our history would be lost. Riders were willing to lay their lives on the line regardless of all the violence and bloodshed that occurred within these states. These states represent a stepping stone both blacks and whites had to take to make a better future. It was still many years before segregation ends completely, but the Freedom Riders had won a major battle in the war against