Freedom Riders

U.S. History and Government Extra Credit Assignment

Due: ______

Value: ______

  • You will view the PBS American Experience film titled, Freedom Riders and answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.
  • To view the film, go to the following website
  • The film will begin after a 30 second advertisement at which time you will be able to view it in full screen. The film is 1 hour and 51 minutes long.
  • I encourage you, if possible, to view the film with your family.

Viewing Questions:

  1. If you were to describe a Freedom Rider, what words would you use?
  1. Why do you think James Farmer wanted to make sure that the Freedom Riders who were selected were a diverse group? How do you think he and other leaders hoped this would influence the Freedom Rides and perceptions of the cause?
  1. How does Joan Mulholland explain why she joined the Freedom Riders? Why do you think she felt like it was particularly important for her, as a white southerner, to join the cause?
  1. What words do people in the film use to describe the state of race relations at the time of the Freedom Rides?
  1. How would you explain why interstate bus travel was still not desegregated after two Supreme Court rulings called for desegregation? Why weren’t the Supreme Court rulings enforced?
  1. Why do you think SCLC, SNCC, and CORE members felt that adopting a philosophy of nonviolence was the best way to bring about a change in the “American dilemma in race relations”?
  1. What role did nonviolent activists hope the media would play in the freedom movement? To what extent do you think they were successful? How did nonviolent protesters believe people would respond to images of the Freedom Rides?
  1. How do you explain the impact of the images from Anniston and Birmingham on the American public? Why do you think the Kennedy administration was concerned about the use of those same images abroad?
  1. Based on the film, what do you think were some of the most important choices made by the Freedom Riders?
  1. What can we learn from Janie Forsyth McKinney’s story? Why do you thinks she was able, at 12 years old, to help the Freedom Riders, while many of her neighbors either watched or participated in the riot?
  1. What do you think the Birmingham police chief hoped to accomplish by allowing the KKK time to attack the Riders?
  1. What factors influenced the Reverend Martin Luther King’s decision not to join the Riders?
  1. Why do you think the Kennedy administration preferred to delay the Freedom Rides rather than offer direct support? What do you think the Kennedy’s learned from their experience with the Freedom Rides?
  1. How would you asses the impact of the Freedom Rides? How do people in the film describe the impact that this campaign had on them personally and on the country as a whole?
  1. What lessons might people trying to address issues of injustice today learn from the Freedom Rides?