Freedom Riders Welcome to the Lobby Artifact 1 Room One Room Four Patrick & Cesar Room One Room Two Room Three Room Four Artifact 1 Museum Entrance Welcome to the Lobby

Robert O. Gibson Students Patrick and Cesar, we are Middle School Students in Robert O. Gibson Leadership program. We studied about the Freedom Riders, and how difficult their journey was. They suffered many attacks and threats, and I hope you enjoy this PowerPoint. Back to Lobby

Causes OF The Rides Artifact 3 Artifact 2 Artifact 4 Back to Lobby

Freedom Volunteers Artifact 6 Artifact 5 Artifact 7 Back to Lobby 4

Risk Of The Rides Artifact 9 Artifact 8 Artifact 10 Back to Lobby 5

Movement Leader’s Support s and help Artifact 12 Artifact 11 Artifact 13 Back to Lobby 6

The 3rd Reason Insert Artifact Picture Here Most of the Freedom Riders weren’t going to lose to violence, but they going to use it to grab attention. The Federal Government was to focus on other countries and how to help them, and forgot about their own country. They took beatings from city to city, it was chaos. Back to Room 1

The 2nd Reason Insert Artifact Picture Here The Freedom Riders wanted a better future, not just for themselves, but for the kids of future. The Freedom Riders wanted there kids to know what it’s like to be free, and play or interact with others of a different race or culture. They want the next generations to have a good life with no racism , or be judged form there skin color. Back to Room 1

The 1st Reason Insert Artifact Picture Here The Freedom Riders had a common goal, it was to end segregation. The Jim Crow laws were made for this very reason. The laws separated blacks and whites from interacting, in schools, streets, restaurants, and bathrooms. The Freedom Riders broke these laws in every ride they took, and went to jail every time. Hank Thomas stated, ”What kind of country is this when I have more rights in a communist country than in my own.” I don’t know much about communism, but I know these laws were unfear to Africans. Back to Room 1

The Different Volunteers Insert Artifact Picture Here The Different Volunteers The people joining the Freedom Riders were all volunteers, no one was forced to. Blacks, whites, females, and males, they all joined the cause. They were ready for anything. College students like Stokely Carmicheal, Catherine Burks-Brooks, and many other wanted to join, but only a few got excepted (40/1,000). Back to Room 2

What They Meant Insert Artifact Picture Here 436 people where in the Freedom Rides. They were sent to the Mississippi State Penitentiary. They were mostly made up of brave men and women, that kept going on the rides, even after getting out of the hospitals and arrested. Many left the their families worried, most white people were a let down to there parents, like James Zwerg was to his. Back to Room 2

What’s in Common Insert Artifact Picture Here Every Freedom Rider has different goals, but it leads to the same outcome, freedom. Every Freedom Rider had to go through training, they experience what's it like in the South before actually going their, like how hostile they could be. The Freedom Riders all wrote their Will’s before hand, just in case of an incident occurring. Back to Room 2

Arrested Insert Artifact Picture Here All the Freedom Riders had to be arrested at some point. The Freedom Riders were going against the Jim Crow Laws, by going to whites only territories. In Mississippi most Freedom Riders were sent to Mississippi State Penitentiary. Once on Freedom Rider left another one took his place. Back to Room 3

The Attacks Insert Artifact Picture Here In every stop, and everyone of the Freedom Riders were beaten, some to a pulp. Many people would use bats or pipes to attack the Freedom Riders. People were bleeding, they got bruises, others got K.O. (Knock Out). In fact, you didn’t even needed to be a Freedom Rider to get beaten, you just had to interact with them. People would surround the buses and throw stuff, including rocks. Women would swear to the Freedom Riders, and some of them were caring the babies, some people just can’t help themselves. Back to Room 3

The KKK AND Bull Connor Insert Artifact Picture Here The KKK (Klu Klux Klan) were the ones that attacked the Blacks in the South the most. They beat the Freedom Riders and they knocked out anyone who would try to help them. During their ride to Birmingham (Bull Connor’s town) Bull Connor was said to have associated with the leader of the KKK. It was said that he allowed the KKK to beat the Freedom Riders. When the KKK surrounded the buses and started beating them, no police showed up. Dr. King told the Freedom Riders,” You’ll never make it through Alabama,” he said this because of the amount of violence caused by the Klan. Back to Room 3

Ralph Abernathy Support Insert Artifact Picture Here Ralph Abernathy Support Ralph Abernathy said an amazing quote that was very supportive to the Freedom Riders. At first Robert Kennedy says that the Freedom Rides were embarrassing the United States, so Ralph Abernathy responded with, “"Well, doesn't the Attorney General know we've been embarrassed all our lives?" This shows that Robert Kennedy was too busy about the figure of the country, that he forgot about their people. Back to Room 4

Fred Shuttlesworth’s Support Insert Artifact Picture Here Fred Shuttlesworth’s Support To inspire others in a meeting at Bethel Baptist Church, Fred Shuttlesworth said, “"No matter how many times they beat us up, segregation has still got to go." This shows that the Freedom Riders had a strong will to end segregation, no matter the cost. Earlier that day, Fred Shuttlesworth also help provided shelter for a Freedom Riders group, while looking for medical care for the wounded. Back to Room 4

Diane Nash’s Support Insert Artifact Picture Here Diane Nash was known as one of the most respected student in the movement. She was able to help keep most of the Freedom Riders from leaving the organization with one quote. She was arguing with there duties to continue. Diane Nash said, ”It was clear to me that if we allowed the Freedom Ride to stop at that point, just after so much violence had been inflicted, the message would have been sent that all you have to do to stop a nonviolent campaign is inflict massive violence.“ She didn’t want to lose to violence. Back to Room 4

Links http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/rides http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/issues/the-cold-war