Freedom riders, Anniston fire bombing, sit-ins and voting rights and the Meredith Case

Freedom riders, Anniston fire bombing, sit-ins and voting rights and the Meredith Case.

-Freedom riders:

• The freedom riders of 1961, organised by CORE and the SNCC, organised freedom trips, involving African Americans and white Americans sitting together on bus trips into the South. Segregation on bus services had been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. 
• Robert Kennedy, who was national attorney, stopped segregation within the public facilities associated with transport - bused, railways and airports. By 1963, this had extended to most public facilities. 

-Anniston firebombing:

• There was violent reaction to the Freedom Rides by some white people in the south - such as the firebombing of a bus at Anniston, Alabama. Due to this great deal of conflict, the Government sent 500 soldiers to protect the black people. 

-Sit-ins:

• In 1960, four African-American students started a series of sit-ins at segregated lunch counters at the Woolworths in Greensboro, North Carolina. These protests spread nationwide and some succeeded in forcing desegregation of facilities.

-Voting rights:

• In August 1965, Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. Federal registrars would now enforce voting rights. This was another major success for the civil rights movement.

-The Meredith Case:

• James Meredith, a black man from the southern state of Mississippi, won a place at Mississippi University in September 1962. When he arrived on his first day to register, he was turned away by the Governor of Mississippi. Because of the protests and riots that happened, President Kennedy had to send soldiers to protect Meredith. The soldiers accompanied James to his classed throughout his course.