Which two organizations were involved in organizing the 1961 Freedom Rides?

• A. NAACP and SCLC
• B. CORE and NAACP
• C. CORE and SNCC
• D. SNCC and SCLC

Answer: (C)

This question tests knowledge of who organized the 1961 Freedom Rides. The rides were launched by CORE, the Congress of Racial Equality, which had experience coordinating nonviolent direct-action campaigns and took the lead in planning the intercity bus journeys to challenge segregation in interstate travel. Student activists from SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, joined as riders and organizers, providing on-the-ground coordination and helping bring national attention to the effort. The collaboration between CORE and SNCC combined veteran organizing with student-led energy, making the campaign both high-profile and effective in pushing federal enforcement of desegregation in interstate transportation.

While the NAACP typically focused on legal challenges through the courts and SCLC led large-scale, church-based campaigns, they were not the primary organizers of the Freedom Rides.