Final answer:
The Freedom Riders were groups of civil rights activists who challenged segregation in interstate transportation in southern states. They aimed to test the enforcement of a Supreme Court decision and protest segregated waiting rooms. The Freedom Rides played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Freedom Riders were groups of white and black civil rights activists who rode buses to challenge segregation in interstate transportation in southern states. They were sponsored by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). The Freedom Rides aimed to test the enforcement of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that prohibited segregation on interstate transportation and to protest segregated waiting rooms in southern terminals.
The volunteers departed from Washington, DC, on May 4, 1961, and headed south on buses that challenged the seating order of Jim Crow segregation. They encountered little difficulty until they reached Rock Hill, South Carolina, where a freedom rider named John Lewis was severely beaten by a mob. The danger increased as they continued through Georgia and Alabama, facing firebombing and attacks by the Ku Klux Klan. The Freedom Rides played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement by drawing national attention to the issue of segregation and prompting action to enforce desegregation laws.