Final answer:
The Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who challenged segregation laws by participating in bus rides through the South. They encountered violence in Rock Hill, SC; Anniston, AL; Birmingham, AL; and Mississippi.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who undertook bus rides through the South in 1961 to test the enforcement of a U.S. Supreme Court decision prohibiting segregation on interstate transportation. They aimed to protest segregated waiting rooms in southern terminals as well. The Freedom Riders faced violence in several locations, including:
- Rock Hill, South Carolina, where a mob severely beat John Lewis.
- Anniston, Alabama, where one of the buses was firebombed.
- Birmingham, Alabama, where the riders were attacked by the Ku Klux Klan at the city bus station.
- Mississippi, where they were arrested for attempting to desegregate waiting rooms.