This is slide show I created for a History class where we answered questions and critiqued it. The documentary was called Freedom Riders directed by Stanley Nelson

1. Freedom Riders
A film by Stanley Nelson

2. Background Information
The Congress of Racial Equality or
Planned to take buses all around the South in
Spring 1961 to make sure the laws that were
passed about racial equality went into effect
throughout the South.

3. Background info continued
The Freedom Riders were given hope by the
election of John F. Kennedy.
The set off on May 4, 1961 with a mix of whites
and blacks.
The first few days went by without incident.

4. Continued
In Alabama, on Day 11, they
were met with heavy
protests. One bus was set
on fire and some of the
Freedom Riders were beat
up.
When the other bus arrived,
Bull Connor, a police
official, let the KKK and the
mob do whatever they
wanted to the Freedom
Riders from 15 minutes.

5. Continued
Eventually they got the
support of the Federal
Government and the Civil
Rights Movement.
Robert F. Kennedy asks the
ICC, Interstate Commerce
Commission, to enforce
their ruling of desegregated
buses and facilities.
The Freedom Riders do win
the war on desegregation
with the means of non-
violence.

6. Director's Central Message
Initially, JFK and RFK thought of civil rights as a
nuisance to their campaign and time in office.
What are these civil rights,
and why can't they go away?
Yes, I agree wholeheartedly that civil
rights are not the most important thing.

7. Director's Central Message
JFK wanted the Freedom Riders to cool down and
stop sending buses, so the problem could go
away.
RFK solved it by asking the ICC to enforce their
own laws.
Please stop sending the buses.
Why can't this just go away?
ICC, help us out here.
Can you enforce those laws that you passed,
so the Freedom Rides will stop.

8. Director's Central Message
The Freedom Riders would not give up despite
the set backs they faced, and the
consequences of their actions.
Even though I could get beat up,
I am still going on this bus to
prove a point.
I will probably go to jail, and
maybe even killed, but there is no greater
cause than for civil rights.

9. Director's Central Message
The Freedom Riders were promised protection,
but didn't receive it until federal troops stepped
in to help.
I will provide
protection.
But I won't really
protect them. We WILL protect the
Freedom Riders.

10. Director's Central Message
Even Martin Luther King Jr. was not supportive at
the beginning.
But, by the end, he welcomed the Freedom
Riders as part of the Civil Rights Movement.
I wish you luck, but
I will not assist you
in your cause.
You are part of the
movement for equality, and
I will help your cause.

11. Effectiveness in Communicating
Message
Strengths:
• The amount of support (Primary and
Secondary sources: Freedom Riders,
Politicians of the time, and experts)
• Emotional Pictures and video
• Repetition of message
• Amount of detail for background info.

12. Effectiveness in Communicating
Message
Weaknesses:
• Too much repetition
• Not enough video

13. Effectiveness in Communicating
Message
Overall:
• The Movie has many strengths, and
only a few weaknesses throughout.
• Therefore, Nelson conveyed his
message very clearly to his
audience.

14. Nelson's expected audience
response
Outrage at the Kennedy administration for not
offering help.
Disgust at the actions taken by the police and
Bull Connor in Alabama and Mississippi.
Sympathy or Empathy for the Freedom Riders
and what they had to deal with.

15. Nelson's expected audience
response
Disbelief as to why the people in power did not
offer help (JFK, RFK, ICC)
Confusion as to why MLK and the Civil Rights
Movement didn't back the Freedom Riders from
the beginning.

16. Sources Used
The best source used were the original Freedom
Riders in 1961.
People like:
• Jim Peck
• John Lewis
• Wally Nelson
• Jim Zwerg
• Genevieve Houghton
These people all committed themselves to being
“soldiers of a non-violent army”

17. Sources Used
Freedom Riders continued:
They were willing to accept the consequences of their
actions.
They were effective sources because they had first
hand experience and it used an appeal to emotion.

18. Consequences of Actions

19. Sources Used
Other sources experts on the history on the
Freedom Riders and they events surrounding
them.
Sources include:
– Derek Catsam
– John Seigenthaler (Primary source
and expert/journalist)
– Raymond Arsenault

20. Sources Used
The experts/historians were
effective because they are
an appeal to authority
because they have studied
the events so thoroughly.

21. Sources Used
Another primary source
that Nelson uses are the
governors of Mississippi
and Alabama at the time
of the events.
The governors were Ross
Barnett (MS) and John
Patterson (AL).
To the left is John
Patterson.

22. Sources Used
The politicians were effective sources because
many of them regret their actions. They are
both an appeal to emotion (their regret) and
appeal to authority.

23. Sources Used
Nelson does a very effective job with his sources
because they are varied and because he uses a
mixture of primary and secondary sources.
He also does a good job at appeals to emotion
and appeal to authority with his sources.

24. Essential Questions
Individuals in this instance should have fought for
the rights declared in the Constitution. That all
men are created equal, and, thus, the laws for
desegregation should be applied.
Some people in the movie did follow the letter of
the law, but those in power, those with
influence, did not follow it.

25. Essential Questions
Europe was appalled and
disgusted by the way the
people in the South
treated the Freedom
Riders and how poorly
the US government
handled the situation.
Events that occurred then
still influence the way that
Europeans view
Americans today.

26. Questions Left Unanswered
Why do most histories of the Freedom Riders only
focus and the first set of Freedom Riders and
not mention that groups that came after?
Other than the desegregation of buses and bus
stations, were there any other immediate
changes in favor of civil rights?

27. Freedom Rider's Impact
A current event that the
Freedom Rides helped
influence and occur was
the election of Barack
Obama, the first African
American president of the
United States.
The Freedom Riders were
fighting for the rights that
they gained at the end of
the Civil War, and the
election of Barack
Obama saw the final
cumulation of the rights in

28. Review
The movie is a very good movie because it was
very informative, clear message, and lots of
good sources. It was also good because of the
timing of the movie with the election of Barack
Obama.
The only parts that could be improved on is that it
is overly repetitive, I would have liked to hear
about his childhood or his experience or view of
the Freedom Riders, and more movie clips and
less pictures.

29. Thank You!
For Watching My Presentation