Definition of freedom riders and why it was important
The Freedom Riders were a group of civil rights activists, both black and white, who rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States in 1961 to challenge the non-enforcement of the Supreme Court decisions that declared segregation in public buses and terminals as illegal. Their objective was to test the federal government's willingness to protect the civil rights of their citizens regardless of their race.
The Freedom Riders and their actions drew attention to the widespread violations of civil rights laws in the South and brought national and international awareness to the issue. The riders endured physical attacks, arrests, and imprisonment, but their activism and courage helped shine a spotlight on the injustice of segregation and helped bring about policy changes that led to the end of legal segregation. The Freedom Rides were important because they were one of the earliest and most visible demonstrations that challenged segregation and played a significant role in the civil rights movement.