A mob assaults Freedom Riders at the Greyhound station in Montgomery, beating riders and journalists as local police stand aside.
At a Glance
- Date
- 20 May 1961
- Location
- Montgomery, Alabama
- Key people
- John Lewis, James Zwerg, Diane Nash
- Category
- Civil Rights Movement
- Source
- Contemporary press (1961) · Britannica
What It Meant Then
The violence forced federal marshals into Alabama to protect the riders.
What It Means Now
It deepened the confrontation that desegregated interstate bus travel.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “Freedom Riders Are Attacked in Montgomery.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/freedom-riders-are-attacked-in-montgomery/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Freedom Riders Are Attacked in Montgomery. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/freedom-riders-are-attacked-in-montgomery/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “Freedom Riders Are Attacked in Montgomery.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/freedom-riders-are-attacked-in-montgomery/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.