Democracynow Freedom Riders clip3of3

Democracy Now & PBS documentary for the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Riders in which mainly students black and white rode buses through the South as a challenge to the federal government to uphold Supreme Court's ruling against segregation.


Freedom Riders were part of the Civil rights movement in America. Segregation was made unlawful by the US Supreme Court . And yet Southern States defying the law maintained their Apartheid system which segregated blacks from the white community . The laws requiing segregation were referred to as Jim Crow .
Jim Crow laws required seperate schools, hospitals,Cemetery's, hotels and White's Only signs were posted at diners , water fountains,park benches, public washrooms movie theaters .
On public transport such as buses blacks were relegated to the back of the bus.
The Freedom Riders in order to test the federal government 's resolve to enforce the Supreme Court rulling against segregation rode in buses across the deep south with blacks and whites sat beside one another in defiance of Jim Crow laws
The domestic terrorist organization the Ku Klux Klan and their white supremacist sympathizers which included White politicians, governors, state legislators, mayors, city counsellors ,most police and fire departments and the majority of business men
So over and over again when the buses arrived in a town the local racist would beat up the white and black freedom Riders.

The white pro-segregationist argued that the US federal government did not have the right to over-rule state segregation laws. So at times these racists would to get more support appeal to those in favor of state's rights and characterize the Feds as acting against the US Constitution .
Category:
News & Politics
Tags:
civil rights USA Jim Crow DemocracyNow Amy Goodman Freedom Riders African Americans racism segregation MLK

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• segregation
• racism
• jim crow
• freedom riders
• Martin
• Luther
• King
• Jr.
• JFK
• Robert
• Kennedy
• SCOTUS
• white
• supremacists
• Apartheid
• FBI
• Ku
• Klux
• Klan