The Freedom Riders, Giving a Voice to African Americans - Research Paper Example

The Freedom Riders The Freedom Riders Introduction America has certainly had its share of difficulties in terms of granting equal rights to all citizens. There have been long and periodic periods of segregation throughout the history of the young nation, and must of this came to a head during the Civil Rights Era, while other issues are still being encountered to this day. In the end, there have been numerous individuals and movements that had greatly advanced the cause of civil rights, and the Freedom Riders can certainly be considered to be among these. The freedom riders themselves were made up of activists in the 1960s that aimed to fight the racial segregation that pervaded much of the Southern part of the United States. On the one hand, some would say that they failed due to the reality that many of them were beaten and arrested. On the other hand, their message resonated with many across not only the South, but the nation as a whole. That message was designed to end the prejudice and segregation that still existed a century after the end of the Civil War. While policy changes may not have been initiated as a direct result of the Freedom Riders, the reality is that these activists highlight a rift within American society that would have to be dealt with. As a result, the Freedom Riders did end up having an impact of the Civil Rights movement by strengthening the voice of the African American person, bringing attention to the pervasive problem of segregation, and moving the government towards action in the end. Giving a Voice to African Americans Frustrated from a lack of transportation services, and the reality that those offered to African Americans at the time were of a substantially substandard quality in comparison to whites, many in the African American community felt that they needed to be more proactive in making their voices heard and begin the process of desegregating the South once and for all. The rides are believe to have actually begun in force on a Mother’s Day in 1961. As history has revealed, one of the most segregated areas of the country was the rural South, and Alabama was prime territory to enforce segregational laws and policies (Manby, 2012). The African Americans in this area were not heard and they had no voice in local or state politics. As a result, some brave white and many blacks took it upon themselves to begin to be heard. The freedom riders themselves actually integrated certain Greyhound bus routes, mixing black and white passengers, at great risk of personal injury. In many locations, such as the first report event in rural Alabama in 1961, a small mob of whites actually attacked the bus with a mix of rocks and bricks. The slashed tires and smashed through windows with both metal pipes and axes. In the end, they then lobbed firebombs through broken windows and barricaded both the front and back doors of the bus so that there would be no escape for the passengers on board. They pelted the bus with racially tarred language and were quite vocal in their desire to kill on board. The actions of the Freedom Riders were not confined only to busses, however, as they also sought to draw attention to the segregation taking place in the waiting rooms and restaurants at bus terminals throughout Alabama. The Freedom Riders became so noticeable throughout the region because of the perseverance, even in light of the obvious persecution they were suffering on a continual basis. This certainly had an impact on the Civil Rights movement as a whole because this was another outlet by which the voice of the African Americans were truly heard and the plight they were suffering was realized by the masses, many finally understanding what was going on for the first time. Just a few hours after the aforementioned attack on a Greyhound bus in rural Alabama, for example, both black and white passengers that were on a similar bus owned by Trailways went into whites-only waiting rooms and restaurants at the bus station in Birmingham, together, and without and reservation or regard for existing policy. As a result, they were beaten bloody by an angry mob that quickly assembled. Once again, however, the word began to spread throughout the region about this group of individuals from both races who would not give up until their goal of desegregation transportation routes, waiting rooms, and eating establishments was realized. The Problem of Segregation During this era of American society, the argument was made the segregation was acceptable because the rules was the separate but equal facilities were to be provided to blacks and other minorities, while the same types of facilities would be reserved for white people only. As common sense quickly revealed, however, the facilities were far from equal. In addition, the emotional toll this took on communities throughout the South, and African American people in particular. It is emotionally difficult to be told that you cannot do something or sit somewhere simply because of the color of your skin, and by the mid 1960s, blacks throughout the South had simply had enough. In addition, while not sizeable in number, more and more whites were jumping on board with crying out against the evils of segregation, and this can be reflected in the actions of the Freedom Riders. Whites that took part were subject to the same violence that Blacks were, and they were thusly labeled throughout their community as a sympathizer for the African American people, which put their families at risk (Rathke, 2011). All of this occurred due to the problem of segregation, and the Freedom Riders highlighted the growing rift and feeling of discontent that was taking place throughout America, and the South in particular. Government Action The ironic thing is that it was precisely because of government inaction that the Freedom Riders became necessary. One must realise that the Supreme Court had already weighed in on this issue in 1946 when deciding in Irene Morgan v. Commonwealth of Virginia, and later in 1960 in Boynton v. Virginia, that segregation on public buses were unconstitutional. In reality, however, the policies remained throughout the South, and the federal government did next to nothing to enforce the law, the law being that segregation of this sort of simply illegal. As such, the Freedom Riders, and other such individuals, felt that they must take it upon themselves to force the government into action and to desegregate public buses in the Southern part of the United States once and for all. In addition, the latter ruling just mentioned outlawed the segregation of waiting rooms and restaurants at public bus terminals, which is why the Freedom Riders also took to those place to make their voices heard. Separate but equal facilities were to be a thing of the past, yet they were still being practiced throughout the South. After multiple problems with the violence that occurred as a result of the Freedom Riders, the Kennedy’s condemned the rides as being unpatriotic as they were embarrassing the country on a world stage. Other countries, most notably the Soviet Union, began to criticize the United States because of the racism and attacks on the riders that were occurring, and this criticism was largely justified (Raeburn, 2013). In time, it was events such as this that led to the passing of the Civil Rights acts and the reality that the federal government began to finally enforce long standing protections against the very acts of segregation that were still so prevalent throughout the South. Conclusion In the end, the Freedom Riders were so effective because of their tenacity and their ability to get recognized on both a national and international scale. Their voices and the violence that was occurring simply because they refused to stay away from public busses, waiting rooms, and restaurants were finally heard and the federal government ended up with little choice but to finally begin to enforce existing legislation throughout the South. The path was not easy, however, as it took dozen of such rides, continuing through the hot summer months, to ultimately pave the way towards eventual civil rights and equal treatment under the law. This is significant because it demonstrates that, at time, even civilized countries get it wrong from time to time, and it takes acts of civil disobedience to right the course. The Freedom Riders, interestingly enough, were not breaking the law, as existing policies of segregation had already been declared unconstitutional. Because of a lack of enforcement to this end, however, brave blacks and whites throughout the South were forced to go against societal norms and integrate the bus system throughout the region. Only is no doing did equal treatment eventually come to all in terms of the law, even though feelings of racism and prejudice inevitably still exist in pockets throughout the country today. Thankfully, however, opportunity, hopes, and dreams abound for minorities today and equal protection under the law appears to have finally come to the United States of America. References Manby, J. (2012). Freedom riders: 1961 and the struggle for racial justice. Ethnicity and Race in a Changing World: A Review Journal, 3(2), 64. Raeburn, J. Freedom riders. (2013). The Journal of American History, 98(3), 931-934. Rathke, W. (2011). Jerome Smith and the Freedom Riders. Social Policy, 41(2), 70. Read More