Final answer:
The Freedom Riders were attacked by the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama in 1961 but managed to escape a firebombed bus. Despite the violence, they continued their journey to challenge and end segregation in interstate transportation.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 1961, the Freedom Riders were attacked in Alabama when Ku Klux Klan members surrounded one of the buses transporting the riders in an effort to "stop integration efforts." The Freedom Riders succeeded in escaping from the firebombed bus, but they were unable to avoid the Klan members' violence. These events were part of a larger movement to challenge and dismantle segregation in interstate transportation and to enforce the Supreme Court's decision that prohibited such racial segregation.
Despite the severe threats and violence faced, including being beaten and the firebombing of one of their buses, the Freedom Riders persisted in their journey through the Deep South. This courageous stand put significant pressure on the federal government, especially President John F. Kennedy, to enforce desegregation laws, ultimately leading to greater protection of civil rights activists.