american experience -
Freedom Riders

Tue, May 11 3:00 P.M.      

In 1961, segregation seemed to have an overwhelming grip on American society. Many states violently enforced the policy, while the federal government, under the Kennedy administration, remained indifferent, preoccupied with matters abroad. That is, until an integrated band of college students ? many of whom were the first in their families to attend a university ? decided, en masse, to risk everything and buy a ticket on a Greyhound bus bound for the Deep South. They called themselves the Freedom Riders, and they managed to bring the president and the entire American public face-to-face with the challenge of correcting civil-rights inequities that plagued the nation.

Episode Duration: 1 hour 54 minutes and 32 seconds

Episode Number: 2311

All broadcast times for this episode: (show all)

Tue, May 11

3:00 P.M.

Freedom Riders

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About American Experience:

As television's longest-running, most-watched history series, American Experience brings to life the incredible characters and epic stories that helped form this nation.

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