Understanding various perspectives is critical in exploring and understanding certain issues. The 2010 documentary, Freedom Rider, directed by Stanley Nelson Jr., chronicles the journey of a racially diverse group of college students on a mission to eradicate segregation in the Southern United States. However, the issue of segregation can be understood through very different perspectives: that of the Freedom Riders themselves, that of the government of the time, the Kennedy Administration, and that of the working-class white Southerners. Understanding these perspectives helps explain the issue of segregation and find where the root of the problem lies. The Freedom Riders hold a critical perspective on the challenging issue of segregation, …show more content…
Moreover, when they came into power, they promised freedom and equality - the American ideals. However, their response to the Freedom Rides contradicted these values. By exploring the actions of John Seigenthaler, a representative of the Administration, and his interactions with Diane Nash, a core member of the Freedom Rides, the dismissive perspective of the Administration on segregation is made evident. In an interview, Seigenthaler spoke condescendingly to Nash and asked her to call off the Freedom Rides, with such conviction that it became an argument. Obviously, Nash refused to. Seigenthaler thought she was simply naive. However, in his own words, "they (Freedom Riders) had written out their last will and testament." Only then did he realize the true dedication the Freedom Riders had to equality. His initial dismissal of the Freedom Rides is representative of the Kennedy Administration and their sentiments. The administration viewed the Freedom Riders as an "obstacle to their political agenda," as historian Raynaldo explained in an interview. Thus, the reasons for the Administration's dismissive perspective on segregation are made clear: by ignoring the problems, such as the violence and efforts to stop the Freedom Rides, they could divert more attention to international
‘Were the Freedom Rides in America more important than those actions taken in Australia?’ The question discussed in this essay will be ‘Were the Freedom Rides in America more important than those actions taken in Australia?’ The freedom rides were a group of American citizens which tested the segregation laws in the south and protested for equality for coloured people. The freedom riders were determined to make a difference to racial inequality and change history. Both countries had harsh laws which
The Freedom Riders were a group of around 13 people. Most of them were African Americans but there were always a few white skinned people in the group as well. There was no set leader for the Freedom Riders. The Freedom Riders rode interstate buses into the Southern United States. The south was referred to as the most segregated part of the U.S. The main goal of the Freedom Riders was to desegregate and become “separate but equal.” They had also set out to defy the Jim Crow Laws. The Freedom Riders
Freedom Riders “Freedom Riders” were a group of people, both black and white, who were civil rights activists from the North who “meant to demonstrate that segregated travel on interstate buses, even though banned by an I.C.C. Ruling, were still being enforced throughout much of the South” (The South 16). The Riders attempted to prove this by having a dozen or so white and black Freedom Riders board buses in the North and travel through Southern cities. This was all “a coldly calculated attempt
South. At this time, segregation was legal. In 1892, the Supreme Court had ruled that a state could separate whites and blacks as long as the services were equal. On May 4, 1961, a diverse group of thirteen courageous individuals known as the Freedom Riders embarked on a bus journey into the South in order to challenge segregation in bus terminals. Although many individuals believed that segregation was wrong, many southern states continued to practice racial segregation. Racial segregation is the
Whites launched the historical Freedom Rides. This group of 13 brave americans set out to protest segregation in the interstate bus terminals. They knew what they were getting into but they didn't care. All they wanted was for everyone to be treated equal even if it cost them their lives. The Freedom Riders caught the attention of many by refusing to follow unfair laws, and by doing so they accomplished many things that positively affected everyones rights today. The Freedom Rides were organized by CORE
The patriotic Freedom Riders risked their lives to change the law of segregation by driving for equality and changing America forever. The Kennedy Administration supported segregation within bus terminals. This was the cause for a nationwide journey through several states to express disagreement to this law. On this journey they experienced troubles of many kinds. However, these troubles did not stop the determination of the riders, which inspired others (Montagane). In 1961, a brave group called
to the making of our own Australian Freedom Riders which were based on the American Freedom Riders who were making a difference with civil rights and discrimination in America. They travelled across America to raise awareness of the issues when it came to the African-American’s rights and they helped achieve equality. The Australian Freedom Riders helped in achieving freedom for the Indigenous Australians just like the Americans. The Australian Freedom Riders consisted of thirty students that attended
earlier protest on wheels had failed miserably when the riders were arrested in North Carolina, convicted, and given month-long sentences doing chain-gang labor. This time, the protesters hoped that they would receive greater support from the federal government and the Justice Department. As the sit-in movement had relied on direct confrontation, so would the Freedom Riders. The group's approach involved both blacks and whites. The white Freedom Riders would take seats in the back of buses, and black participants
Freedom riders are people that went around the world riding on buses and telling people about Jesus Christ. “In the original group, there were thirteen people in it. There were seven African Americans and six whites" (history.com). How they were treated was awful. “When they would go somewhere there would be whites outside their bus door to beat them up" (history.com). There is this one story that happened in Anniston, Alabama on May 14, 1961. “This is how it goes so the Greyhound the bus for the
community and its supporters refused to use public transportation, transport segregation still remained in some southern states. As a result the civil rights group, the Congress on Racial Inequality (C.O.R.E.), began to organize what they called “freedom rides.” In 1961, the group began sending student volunteers on bus trips to test the implementation of new laws prohibiting segregation in interstate travel facilities (Peck, 161). Most notable was a trip they took from Washington, D.C., making
The first Freedom Ride took place on May 4, 1961 when seven blacks and six whites decided to leave Washington, D.C., on two public. A lot of the freedom riders faced violence and even death threats for their fight to end segregation. Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who wanted to end segregation by participating in bus. The idea was very simple, yet had a lot of affect on the United States back then, and even now. The idea of African-American and whites riding on the same bus distributed
Freedom riders were civil rights activities who interstate buses into the segregated southern United States in 1961 and following years to challenge the non enforcement of the United states supreme court decisions Iren Morgan v. Commonwealth of Virginia 1946 and Boynton v. Virginia 1960 which ruled that segregated public buses were unconstitutional. however this rule didn't stop us from the segregation of an equal right. Violence in Anniston, Alabama Anniston, Alabama, a white mob awaited the arrival
This documentary, “The Freedom Riders” shows the story of courageous civil rights activists called ‘Freedom Riders’ in 1961 who confronted institutionalized and culturally-accepted segregation in the American South by travelling around the Deep South on buses and trains. This documentary is based on Raymond Arsenault’s book “Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice”. It was a radical idea organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) that alarmed not only those who challenged
explicit, but, also in the communities where such interactions and ideals may be more concealed or masked as average. Injustice and being caught up in futile disputes leaves marks on those who experience such issues in any form. In The Freedom Writers Diary by the Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell, these ideas are brought to the attention of the reader, eliciting the same
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