Civil Rights project

The Freedom Rider Room

Brimingham, 1963

The Little Rock 9 exhibit

Jolene Tugs

The museum of the civil rights movement

Artifacts

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The Freedom Riders Room

The Freedom Riders were 6 white and 12 black individuals, 2 girls and the rest boys, aged 18 to 61, they aimed to test if they could sit anywhere on interstate buses and at bus terminals, their route being, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and ended in New Orleans. The KKK attacked and firebombed the Greyhound bus carrying the Freedom Riders, and then once arriving in Anniston, they faced another mob attack. A police commissioner wanted the ride to end in Alabama and encouraged KKK attacks. The Freedom Riders were abandoned on May 17, 1961, as Greyhound and Trailway drivers refused to transport them. Influenced by the first Freedom Riders, more Freedom Riders boarded railway buses. Rides continued throughout the summer until all interstate buses were required to display a certificate stating that anyone could sit anywhere in buses.

Room 1

The signs held by Freedom Riders.

The seats on the bus.

The bus after being bombed and attacked by KKK.

Freedom Riders Artifacts

Artifact 3"the signs"

Artifact 2"the seats"

Artifact 1"the bus"

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On May 2, 1963, a children's march took place in Downtown Birmingham, before that, Martin Luther King had come to Birmingham because he saw the place as "probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States." But once he arrived, he was arrested, and while he was in jail, he wrote a letter that explained the Civil Rights Movement's goals. After that, the children's march was organized. To stop the march, police used high-pressure hoses and hostile dogs that left the children with ripped clothes and cuts gushing with blood. When people saw what was happening, they were shocked and infuriated. Later, Birmingham was finally desegregated, but racism still floated through the air.

Artifacts

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Birmingham, 1963

Room 02

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Artifact 3"the newspaper"

The Newspaper that wrote about how the kids got treated during the march.

Artifact 2"the letters"

The letter written by Martin Luther King while he was in jail ("Letter From Birmingham Jail").

Birmingham 1963, Artifacts

Artifact 1"the hose "

The high pressured hoses to hurt the kids in the childerens march.

The Little Rock 9 were 9 black students chosen to go to an all-white school called Central High. When they were there many students were angry and they harrassed and threatened the Little Rock 9. Governor Faubus sent National troops to keep the Little Rock 9 students out and he kept the troops there even when he was ordered to let them in. Then President Eisenhower sent 1000 troops to take control of the Nation troops which then allowed the Little Rock 9 to finally enter the school. Those troops remained there for the remainder of the school year but highschool in Little Rock 9 ended up closing for 1 year.

Artifacts

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The Little Rock 9 exhibit

Room 03

Little Rock 9 Artifacts

The newspaper written about the troops sent by the President.

Segregationists signs while protesting the intergation of Central High.

Elizabeth Eckford's school supplies.

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The Freedom Riders held signs while sitting on the bus. They sang songs and didn't move, even at the risk of arrest and assault. This shows how much they would do for their cause, it was pure bravery and determination.

Those were the seats the Freedom Riders sat in, where they were determined to see if they could sit anywhere. Their determination helped them push through their fear of knowing how dangerous the task was.

The bus the Freedom riders rode was bombed and attacked by a group called the KKK. They were attacked even more afterwards and yet others still got inspired to attempt to achieve what the Freedom Riders set out to do and at last they got free seating on buses.

These were the hoses that were used on innocent children during the NON-VIOLENT children's march. Even when it was children peacefully walking the streets law enforcement used high-pressure hoses on the children leaving them in pain.

The newspaper written after the children's march showed how the hoses and dogs harmed the children. When people saw this, they were enraged. Afterward, it finally led to Desegregation in Birmingham.

The letters written in Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King just showed even more how determined and how much of a leader he was. Even if he was imprisoned, he didn't stop for what he believed. He even wrote the letters on napkins and a pen he snuck in.

Elizabeth Eckford's school supplies dignifies her dedication to the cause. Although she had to walk into the school on the first day alone, she stood tall and didn't show notice to the insults thrown at her.

The signs held by the segregationists show that they did not want the Little Rock 9 to enter their white-only high school. They stood for their beliefs and worked for what they believed was right.

The newspaper was written after Governor Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard to keep the Little Rock Nine out of Central High, but he didn't stop when he was told. President Eisenhower sent 1,000 troops to stop the National Guard, and although he didn't need that many troops, he wanted to show his power and that he was President and Governor Faubus should have listened. The Newspaper shows President Eisenhower's power and how he displayed it.