HIS CH 21-3 FREEDOM RIDES

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Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Riding for Freedom James Peck, a white civil rights activist, was one of six whites and seven blacks who set out from Washington, D.C ., in 1961 on a special bus ride through the South. The trip was part of CORE’S attempt to test the Supreme Court decisions banning segregated seating on interstate bus routes and segregated facilities in bus terminals . The activists formed two interracial teams of freedom riders to travel through the South challenging
segregation . They reasoned that if they provoked a violent reaction, the Kennedy administration would have to enforce the law. In Anniston, Alabama, about 200 angry whites attacked Bus Two, kicking its sides and slashing its tires . The driver managed to take the damaged bus six miles out of town before one of the slashed tires blew apart. The mob, which had driven after the bus, barricaded the door while someone smashed the rear window and tossed in a fire bomb . The freedom riders forced open the door and spilled out just before the bus exploded in a ball of flame. *NEW VOLUNTEERS* CORE’S freedom riders did not want to give up, but the bus companies refused to carry them any farther, so they ended their ride and nearly all of them boarded a flight to New Orleans . Then Diane Nash, a SNCC leader, called CORE director James Farmer to say that a group of Nashville students wanted to resume the freedom ride. “You know that may be suicide,” warned Fariner. Nash answered, “We know that, but if we let them stop us with violence, the movement is dead! . . . Your troops have been badly battered. Let us pick up the baton and run with it When the SNCC volunteers rode into Birmingham, Police Commissioner Eugene “Bull” Connor’s men pulled them off the bus, beat them, and drove them into Tennessee. The determined young people returned to Birmingham and occupied the whites-only waiting room at the terminal, where they sat for 18 hours because the bus driver refused to risk his life transporting them. After receiving an angry phone call from U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy, bus company officials convinced the driver to proceed. The SNCC volunteers set out for Montgomery on May20.

Why did groups of civil rights workers start out on “Freedom Rides” through the South?

a.	It was safer to ride in groups	c.	They wanted to test the Supreme Court decision that desegregated interstate buses.
b.	Freedom busses were the only transportation available in the South	d.	The Freedom Bus Company had the cheapest fairs in the South

What organization sponsored the Freedom Rides?

a.	Colored Organizations for Racial Equality	c.	Congress Of Racial Equality
b.	Colored Organizers for Racial Equality	d.	Congressional Officers for Ending Racism

Who was the police commissioner of Birmingham who tried to break up the Freedom Rides?

a.	Bull Conners	c.	James Farmer
b.	George Wallace	d.	James Peck

Which organization was most aggressive and confrontational about fighting for racial integration

a.	NAACP	c.	SNCC
b.	CORE	d.	None of these were aggressive

	ARRIVAL OF FEDERAL MARSHALS Although Alabama officials had promised Kennedy that the riders would be protected, no police were stationed near the Montgomery terminal when the bus arrived. Instead, a mob of whites-many carrying bats and lead pipes-fell upon the riders . John Doar, a Justice Department official on the scene, called the attorney general and reported what happened. “A bunch of men led by a guy with a bleeding face are beating [the passengers] . There are no cops. It’s terrible . It’s terrible . There’s not a cop in sight. People are yelling, ‘Get ‘em, get ‘em.’ It’s awful.” The violence
provoked exactly the response the freedom riders had been hoping for. Newspapers throughout the nation and abroad denounced the beatings. Southern newspapers such as the Atlanta Constitution, which had criticized the freedom ride, expressed outrage that police had refused to protect the riders . President John F Kennedy decided to give the freedom riders more direct support. This time, the justice Department sent 400 U.S . marshals to protect the riders on the last part of their journey to Jackson, Mississippi. In addition, the attorney general and the Interstate Commerce Commission issued an order banning segregation in all interstate travel facilities, including waiting rooms, restrooms, and lunch counters .

What happened when the Freedom Riders arrived in Montgomery, Alabama?

a.	They were beaten by the police	c.	They were greeted by the mayor
b.	They were beaten by an angry mob	d.	They were met by angry Justice Department officials

What was the attitude of the police toward the violence imposed on the Freedom Riders when they arrived in Montgomery?

a.	They condoned it	c.	They instigated it
b.	They opposed it	d.	They most likely did not know about it

How did the Justice Department react to the beatings of the Freedom Riders in Montgomery?

a.	They ignored the beatings	c.	They sent federal marshals to protect the riders
b.	They condoned the beatings	d.	They took control of the bus company

Interstate commerce means commerce between two or more states, not just inside a state. The U.S. government has authority over interstate commerce because it is between states. What was the result of the Freedom Rider beatings in Montgomery?

a.	The Freedom Riders gave up.	c.	The bus company stopped freedom rides because they involved interstate commerce.
b.	segregation was banned on all travel facilities, including waiting rooms, restrooms, and lunch counters by the state of Alabama	d.	segregation was banned on all travel facilities, including waiting rooms, restrooms, and lunch counters by the U.S. government

What was the end result of the Freedom Rider beatings in Montgomery, Alabama?

a.	public opinion turned in against the Riders and segregation was banned on the busses	c.	public opinion turned in favor of the Riders and segregation was banned on the busses.
b.	public opinion turned in favor of the police and gave them more power to impose law and order in Montgomery	d.	the State of Georgia and the city of Montgomery came out looking like the victims

10.

The Interstate Commerce Commission is an agency of

a.	the state of Alabama	c.	the Constitution of the United States
b.	the city of Birmingham, Alabama	d.	the United States government

Standing Firm
As interstate travel facilities became more fully integrated, some civil rights workers turned their attention to integrating some Southern schools and pushing the movement into additional Southern towns. At each turn they encountered opposition from some whites .
“Violence is a fearful thing,” recalled Avon Rollins of SNCC . “I remember when I had to take a stand, where the words wouldn’t come out of my mouth, . . . because the fear was in me so strong .”

INTEGRATING OLE MISS
In September 1962, Air Force veteran James Meredith won a federal court case that allowed him to enroll in the all-white University of Mississippi, nicknamed Ole Miss. But when Meredith arrived on campus, he faced Governor Ross Barnett, who refused to let him register as a student. Following the precedent set by Eisenhower in Little Rock, President Kennedy ordered federal marshals to escort Meredith to the registrar’s office . Barnett responded with a heated radio appeal : “I call on every Mississippian to keep his faith and courage. We will never surrender.” The broadcast turned out white demonstrators by the thousands . On the night of September 30, riots broke out on campus that resulted in two deaths . It took more than 5,000 soldiers, 200 arrests, and 15 hours to stop the rioters . In the months that followed, federal officials accompanied Meredith to class and protected his parents from nightriders who shot up their house.

11.

When _____ arrived on the University of Mississippi to enroll, he was opposed by _____ .

a.	James Meredith - Governor Ross Barnett	c.	Freedom Riders - the Justice Department
b.	James Meredith - Governor George Wallace	d.	Avon Rollins - Governor Ross Barnett

12.

What did the U.S. government do in regards to the enrollment of James Meredith at “Ole Miss”

a.	Correctly stated that it was a state matter and the U.S. government had no authority	c.	Sent marshals to protect and escort Meredith to class
b.	Asked former President, Eisenhower to intervene.	d.	Cut off all federal funds to the University of Mississippi

13.

How did the people of Mississippi react to the radio speech of the Governor?

a.	By rioting on campus	c.	The people ignored it
b.	They calmed down	d.	By dropping out of the University

HEADING INTO BIRMINGHAM By 1963, Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, head of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, decided that something had to be done about Birmingham-a city known for its strict enforcement of total segregation in public life . The city also had a reputation for racial violence, including 18 bombings from 1957 to 1963. Deciding that Birmingham would be the ideal place to test the power of nonviolence, Shuttlesworth invited Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the SCLC to help desegregate the city. On April 3, 1963, King flew into Birmingham to hold planning meetings with members of the African-American community. “This is the most segregated city in America,” he said. ‘We have to stick together if we ever want to change its ways.”

After several days of demonstrations led by Shuttlesworth and others, King led a small band of marchers into the streets of Birmingham on Good Friday, April 12. Police Commissioner Bull Connor promptly arrested them. While sitting in his jail cell, Dr. King wrote an open letter to white religious leaders who felt he was pushing too hard, too fast .
On April 20, King posted bail and began to plan more demonstrations . On May 2, more than a thousand African-American children marched in Birmingham ; Bull Connor arrested 959 of them. On May3, a second “children’s crusade” came face to face with Connor and his helmeted police force . As television cameras recorded the scene, the police swept the marchers off their feet with high-pressure fire hoses, set attack dogs on them, and clubbed those who fell . Millions of TV viewers heard the children screaming. Continued protests, an economic boycott, and negative media coverage finally convinced Birmingham officials to meet King’s demands for an end to segregation . Birmingham offered a stunning civil rights victory that inspired African Americans across the nation. In addition, it convinced President Kennedy that nothing short of a new civil rights act would end the disorder and satisfy the demands of African Americans-and many whites-for racial justice.

Dr King speaks in Birmingham

Police dogs attack demonstrators

Bull Conners - Police Chief of Birmingham, Alabama

14.

Birmingham, Alabama was chosen as a city to test the non-violent approach to ending segregation because

a.	it had a history of violence	c.	both of these reasons
b.	it was one of the most segregated cities in the nation

15.

It is safe to say that Dr. King and the _____ was trying to _____ violence to call attention to the segregation issue.

a.	SNCC - provoke	c.	SCLC - avoid
b.	SCLC - provoke	d.	SNCC - prevent

16.

Which person did exactly what his opposition wanted him to do in Birmingham.

a.	Dr. King	c.	President John Kennedy
b.	Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth	d.	Bull Conners

17.

What was the result of Bull Conners actions in Birmingham?

a.	Thousands of demonstrators were killed	c.	The city was desegregated
b.	The city became more segregated	d.	Most of the black children in the city were beaten and jailed.

18.

The events in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 demonstrated

a.	the fact that the American people did not care what happened to African Americans	c.	the basic fairness of the American people when exposed to an injustice
b.	the indifference of the Kennedy administration toward racial injustice	d.	that the American people did not want to integrate with African Americans

George Wallace

JFK

KENNEDY TAKES A STAND
On June 11, 1963, President Kennedy used federal troops to force Governor George Wallace to honor a court order desegregating the University of Alabama. That evening, Kennedy addressed the nation and asked pointedly, “Are we to say to the world-and much more importantly, to each other-that this is the land of the free, except for the Negroes?” He referred directly to “repressive police action” and “demonstrations in the streets .” Then, he demanded that Congress pass a sweeping civil rights bill
A tragic event just hours after Kennedy’s speech highlighted the racial tension in much of the South. Shortly after midnight, a sniper shot and killed Medgar Evers-NAACP field secretary and World War II veteran-in the driveway of his home in Jackson, Mississippi. Police soon arrested white supremacist Byron de la Beckwith for the crime, but he was released after two trials resulted in hung juries . (De la Beckwith was finally convicted in 1994, after the case was reopened based on new evidence .) The release of de la Beckwith brought a new militancy to African Americans. With raised fists, many demanded, “Freedom now!”

Byron de la Beckwith Medgar Evers

19.

Medgar Evers was

a.	a WWII veteran and NAACP field worker	c.	Governor of Alabama
b.	President of the U.S.	d.	charged with murder

20.

JFK was

a.	a WWII veteran and NAACP field worker	c.	charged with murder
b.	President of the U.S.	d.	Governor of Alabama

21.

Beckwith was

a.	Governor of Alabama	c.	charged with murder
b.	President of the U.S.	d.	a NAACP field worker

22.

George Wallace was

a.	charged with murder	c.	an NAACP field worker
b.	Governor of Alabama	d.	leader of SNNC

23.

What did Kennedy ask Congress to do?

a.	pass a civil rights bill	c.	send marshals to Alabama to enforce segregation
b.	send troops to Alabama to protect demonstrators	d.	send marshals to Alabama to enforce integration

24.

Byron de la Beckwith was arrested and convicted in 1963 for shooting Medgar Evers

true

false

25.

How did African Americans react to the trial of de la Beckwith in 1963?

a.	satisfaction	c.	anger
b.	sadness	d.	anticipation