Sit-Ins and Freedom Riders Summery

Starting in 1960’s, the first sit-in happened at Woolsworth’s, a lunch counter, when four black students from the African-American North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr. (later known as Jibreel Khazan), and David Richmond, sat down at the whites-only counter and asked to be served. They refused to get up until they were served but were eventually forced out of the restaurant because it had to close for the night (How). “They symbolized a change in the mood of African-American people. Up until then, we had accepted segregation — begrudgingly — but we had accepted it. We had spoken against it, we had made speeches, but no one had defied segregation (Schlosser).”Once recorded on television and the news, word spread about the protest and sit-ins became more frequent and done by many more people. Even if they were hit or verbally abused by unhappy whites, the African Americans stayed silent and took it (How).

Sit-ins were used because even though schools and businesses started to become integrated, many didn’t comply with the integration and stayed racially segregated, showing racial inequality was still present. One of the main characteristics of a sit-in was nonviolence.. Along with the beatings and harsh words came the usual amount of imprisonments leading to about 3,000 student arrests nearly a year and a half after the first sit-in (How). After the Woolsworth’s sit-ins, nearly 50,000 people joined in around the country in about 70 different cities. Nearly 5 months later of protesting and picketing lunch counters, 9 counters along the border of north and south desegregated, including the first Woolsworth’s to have a sit-in (Greensboro).

After the Rosa Parks incident and after the Supreme Court ruled the Montgomery Bus Company had to accept integration, in 1961, a group of people known as the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) began to organize bus trips that traveled through the deep south  and were known as freedom rides (Freedom). These freedom rides were meant to knock down racial barriers at bus stations (Bi). The passengers were trained for a few days in non-violence techniques, since CORE was a non-violent group, and led by James Farmer, the leader of CORE, the passengers made their way to Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi (Freedom). CORE describes itself as “a coordinated organization of nonviolent organization with nonviolent action groups that believed in racial equality and in achieving it through nonviolent means (Bi).” The whites in Alabama who heard about this were enraged. The freedom riders traveled to Anniston in 2 separate buses, both integrated, and only stopped to eat at white-only restaurants. Once in Anniston, the passengers were attacked by men armed with clubs, bricks, iron pipes and knives. One bus was fire-bombed while the rest of the mob held the doors to the bus closed, trying to kill everyone on board (Freedom). 12 were hospitalized, most for smoke inhalation, and the bus was completely destroyed from the attack (Bi).

It seemed like everywhere the freedom riders rode, they encountered an angry mob ready to beat them. And no matter where they went, the police always seemed to wait at least 10 minutes before stepping in to help those being beaten. Victims were pushed, pounded with pipes or key rings, punched, beaten repetitively, and almost always hospitalized (Bi). The problem became so bad that President John F. Kennedy sent Byron White and 500 federal marshals from the North to do the job of the policemen who weren’t stepping in, showing he supported the movement. Over a thousand people took part in freedom rides. In September 1961, the ICC was petitioned to racially desegregate bus terminals and the legislature was passed in November, giving the freedom riders what they had wanted (Freedom).

Works Cited

"Bi-Racial Buses Attacked, Riders Beaten in Alabama." New York Times (15 May 1961). Web. 9 Dec. 2011. <http://hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document?set=search&start=1&rendition=x-article-image&inmylist=false&urn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-article-image%3B98439081&mylisturn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-citation%3B98439081>.

"Freedom Riders." Spartacus Educational. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAfreedomR.htm>.

"Greensboro sit-ins." American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 12 Dec. 2011.

"HowStuffWorks "Sit-ins and Freedom Riders"" HowStuffWorks "History" Web. 09 Dec. 2011. <http://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/civil-rights-movement5.htm>.

Schlosser, Jim, and James Farmer. "Greensboro Sit-Ins: Launch of a Civil Rights Movement : Article." Greensboro Sit-ins. 1998. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.sitins.com/story.shtml>.