Charles Perkins 1965 Freedom Rides Analysis

Improved Essays
The effectiveness of Charles Perkins 1965 freedom Ride in achieving civil rights and freedoms

Charles Perkins 1965 Freedom Ride was a civil rights movement in Australia that was inspired and influenced by the civil rights movement in the U.S (the Freedom Rides in the States and Dr Kings non violent direct action philosophy) that was highly effective in achieving civil rights and freedom for Indigenous Australians. The freedom riders were a group of university students led by Charles Perkins that traveled between country towns in NSW and were surveying the indigenous population and their race relations, doing peaceful protests which caused “creative tension” that catches the attention of the media and pressure the government either federal,
…show more content…
Charles Perkins 1965 Freedom Ride use of non-violent direct action causing “creative tension“ which not only grabbed the public attention through the media but it also pressured the government and community to take action against its discrimination. When the SAFA was in Moore, they went with eight Aboriginal children, whose families gave permission ,to gain entry to the local swimming pool which refused people with aboriginal blood (mixed or pure) entry. The manager at the time refused to sell entry coupons but after the more peaceful non-violent direct action by blocking other people from entering the pool until the Aboriginal kids were allowed in the pool. This caused a massive mob and violence grew but in the end of it “They let the kids in for a swim and we went in with them. We had broken the ban!” (A bastard like me, Charles Perkins). The use of non-violent direct action to pressure the government, community and local authorities to take action being implemented by Charles Perkins 1965 Freedom Ride show how highly effective the movement was in achieving Civil rights and freedoms for

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Similar to this movement, Australia first did this in 1966 when a group of students from Sydney University decided to ride a bus and travel around different parts of New South Wales, in hopes to bring attention to how poorly Aborigines lived under Australian Laws. Aboriginal activists have many similarities and affiliations with the US Civil Rights movement. Much alike in the US, these activists prompted the aboriginal community to become aware of their rights and privileges, and other aspects of life they are entitled to. A famous figure, Charles Perkins, stopped his career from being a football player to fight for Indigenous rights in Australia. He became an activist and president for the Student Action for the Aborigines group, which led freedom rides across Australia.…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Freedom Ride In Australia

    • 1482 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In 1965 the freedom ride rode through western New South Wales towns as a way to draw attention to the racism that was absent. This was done by an Aboriginal student named Charles Perkins who drove a bus around protesting the discrimination against Aboriginal people in small towns in NSW. The freedom ride in Australia had a significant impact on Australians attitudes at that time towards indigenous rights. The main points being discussed will be how Charles Perkins and the Freedom Ride impacted society in the 1960’s.…

    • 1482 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    May 14th, 1961, a date that marked the start of one of the most important movements that occurred in the Civil Rights Movement, the Freedom Rides. Seven African Americans and six whites left on a bus from Washington D.C. that was bound for the deep south (CORE,2014). Their goal was to test the supreme court ruling of the legal case Boynton v. Virginia 1960, which declared that segregation in interstate buses and railroad stations was unconstitutional (CORE,2014). The Freedom Rides were so important to the goals of the Civil Rights Movement because the Freedom Rides put pressure to change laws and enforce equality on the federal government.…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Activist from many black churches and organization everywhere joined marching for equality. The sit-ins movement of 1960 had changed the civil rights movement, where it had successfully “lift the white-only policy”. Again, this movement also faced white intimidation, in which the protesters were harassed by white racist, and some were even killed. There were not only the southern states and white’s legislature, but there were also many President who were not willing to promote racial equality, unless they were forced to do so. President Kennedy was referring freedom rider as, “……

    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The NSW Freedom Ride of 1965 was a controversial event that played a major role in promoting the civil rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. With quite simple aims and very basic methods, the Freedom Riders caused a stir across Australia, leading to many short and long term implications on both the white Australian and ATSI population. The Rides empowered both ATSI and white Australians to take a stand against discrimination, protect equality and foster the process of reconciliation. Although it helped benefit the ATSI peoples however, the Freedom Ride was still a highly debated affair that generated both praise and criticism throughout Australia.…

    • 1642 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    He believed that racial discrimination in Australia was withdrawing Aboriginal people to their deserved rights and freedoms. On the 12 February 1964, the Australian Freedom Ride drove off to expose the racial discrimination in towns. Perkins had also organised television coverage of the Freedom Ride on the Channel 7 program ‘Seven Days’, featuring seven remote communities in western NSW and their racial injustices for viewers around Australia. In Moree, the riders addressed the segregation of the local swimming pool where Aboriginal children were not…

    • 1223 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    This group consisted of black and white of the core, SNCC and SCLC. Martin Luther King also supports this. " Freedom Riders" fought against segregation in public transportation by deliberately sit in places not allowed to. This is non-violent; they were not attacking or threatening anyone. They were successful.…

    • 62 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Rights and Freedoms To what extent do Charles Perkins and Eddie Mabo contribute to changes in rights and freedoms for Indigenous Australians? Charles Perkins and Eddie Mabo made a huge impact on the rights and freedoms of Aboriginals through protests and campaigns. Charles Perkins is an indigenous Australian that took place in the freedom ride organised by a group of Sydney university students which helped to change the rights and freedom laws of indigenous people. Eddie Mabo helped change the rights of Aboriginals through his work in court to change the land rights in Australia. Charles Perkins made a huge contribution to the way indigenous people were treated.…

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Berkeley protest of the 1960’s was a series of protest that occurred in the University of California, Berkeley with the support of thousand of students. This was the first national movement of young activism in history. The Sheraton Palace Demonstration movement was the first civil rights movement to happen. Berkeley students protested to end racial discrimination against the hiring practices of the hotel. Hundreds of students gathered into the hotel lobby to do 10 hour sit ins in hopes to make a change.…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Freedom Riders is one example where the truth was either hidden or revealed through the news. Bias where strong in the south where people were segregated meaning that African Americans were usually passed off as troublemakers compared to others who saw the acts of segregation an act of cruelty. The trick to get pass bias is to interpreting the document to discover what is fact and what is fiction. It would deem best for one to gather multiple primary source documents such as first hand accounts. The civil rights movement known as the Freedom Riders was portrayed in both poor and elaborate ways in the news making it a prime case to be interpreted and to find the truth.…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    On May 4, 1961, a group of six whites and seven African Americans departed from Washington D.C. to begin their fight for Civil Rights. Their goal was to end segregation in bus terminals and in all transportation stations. These people were called the Freedom Riders. They fought to prove that “separate but equal” was not truly equal. They wanted to end the Jim Crow laws, and this was just one of the many ways they fought.…

    • 1106 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In 1964, civil right organizations that included the Congress id Racial Equality and Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee organized a voter registration drive. This drive was known at the Mississippi Summer Project, or better known as Freedom Summer. It was aimed toward dramatically increasing voter registration in Mississippi. Freedom Summer consisted of black Mississippians and more that 1000 out-of-state mostly white volunteers, who faced constant abuse and harassment from all of Mississippi’s white population. The Ku Klux Klan, police, and state and local authorities carried out a series of violent attacks.…

    • 438 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When looking into the history of the Civil Rights some people might contradict whether the “Freedom Riders” were a success or failure. During the time of 1960, the Freedom Riders had a total of 13 freedom riders six African Americans and seven whites, which later on expanded. The Freedom Riders trip started on May 4, 1961, and continued for months with complications and successes in between, it ended in the fall of 1961. The occurrence of violence, angry, mobs, brutality, incarceration, and even the bus burning out all occurred. All of these things are reasons why people might consider the Freedom Riders failure.…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the slave narrative, Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom completely diminishes the poorly exaggerated stereotype of a black person as shown in the documentary Ethnic Notions, which was widely believed amongst the masses. William and Ellen Craft ultimately used the societies naiveté to their advantage as they made their great escape unscathed. Their journey from Georgia, a principal slave state is a remarkable tale that encompasses loyalty, courage, love, and wit unparalleled to what may have been expected from a slave. William Craft effectively played his role as an obedient slave towards “his master” while escaping the atrocious life of a slave. Ellen Craft expertly mirrored that in which enslaved her playing a vital role in their escape.…

    • 723 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In consequence, instead of being afraid all these incidents, more and more people started to support freedom riders in order to them succeed what they started. Most importantly, awareness of racial segregation began to build up in many people’s minds, led to various civil right movements later…

    • 1384 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays