the arrest and incarceration of any Freedom Riders who violated segregation ordinances. It was just a couple of days later, on May 24th, 1960, that the Freedom Riders left Montgomery, Alabama for Jackson, Mississippi. Although they were protected by the Highway Patrol and National Guard, they were promptly arrested when they attempted to use the white-only facilities upon arrival. They were charged with trespassing and incarcerated in jails throughout the state, with some Freedom Riders even being imprisoned within the infamous Mississippi State Penitentiary, otherwise known as “Parchman Farm”. Shortly after, the Kennedys issued a state urging a ‘cooling off’ period due to the ongoing and escalating violence.
60
FREEDOMRIDERS
60 Years
They argued that these Rides and the turmoil which
they had ushered into the country had become a
source of embarrassment for the nation on the global stage. The United States had become the focus of
international scrutiny for its dismal civil rights record, sparking widespread outrage which was contributing to the building pressure on American political orders
to at last take action. Organizations such as CORE and
SNCC criticized these calls for a ‘cooling off’ period, and their response was to create the Freedom Riders
Coordinating Committee so that they could continue the Rides into the months ahead. More than sixty Freedom Rides were launched throughout the South from June to
September, with more than four hundred Freedom Riders
participating. They fought against not only segregation
