Freedom Riders, Anniston Firebombing Flashcards
What does CORE stand for?
Congress of Racial Equality
What did the CORE decide to do to expose the fact that desegregation laws were not followed?
Introduced ‘Freedom Riders’
What was the purpose of ‘Freedom Riders’?
- To provoke a violent reaction from racist people in the South
- To shock a national and international audience to put pressure on federal government to enforce laws
How would each bus leave its station?
Whites and Blacks sit in an integrated seating plan
What happened as a result of the ‘Freedom Riders’?
- White racists fell into the trap
- Journalists and riders were frequently attacked
- Gained widespread and damaging publicity
Why was there never a shortage of whites and blacks willing to fill the buses?
Volunteers from the SNCC (Student Non-Violent Co-Ordinating Committee) joined this protest
How did Kennedy deal with this situation (violence towards freedom riders)?
- 1961 Embarrassed
- Threatened to send US Marshals to enforce desegregation
- The South believed him
What was the impact of the Freedom Riders?
Desegregation became a reality rather than a legal fiction (this brought an end to Freedom Riders in 1961)
When was the Anniston fire bombing?
May 1961
What triggered the Anniston firebombing?
- First of the Frredom Rides
- Civil rights activists boarded buses in Washington to challenge segregation
What actions did the local KKK take against Freedom Riders’ bus?
- Smashed windows
- Slashed tires
- Attempted to roll it over
- Harassed passengers
- White mob followed it
How did the police in Anniston respond?
- Initially provided a mock escort for the bus but abandoned
- Left passenger vulnerable to attacks
- Many local police were sympathetic/part of KKK
What was the significance of media coverage of the firebombing?
- Brought national and international attention to power images
- Exposed violent resistance to desegregation
- Raised questions of why authorities did not protect passengers
