Anniston was the Alabama town where a Freedom Riders’ bus was burned on May 14, 1961. The riders were challenging segregation in interstate bus terminals and traveled through the Deep South despite threats and violence.
A mob attacked a Greyhound bus outside Anniston and set it on fire. Passengers escaped through smoke and flames, but attackers continued assaulting them after they emerged. A second bus was attacked later that day in Birmingham.
The violence drew national attention and intensified federal pressure to protect the riders. The Interstate Commerce Commission subsequently issued rules requiring interstate bus and rail facilities to desegregate. The Freedom Rides thus converted an existing legal ruling into a visible test of federal enforcement.