On May 4, 1961, a group of activists set out from the capital on America’s first Freedom Ride. Their aim was simple: to challenge the South’s segregation practices, which banned blacks from riding next to white passengers. Vicious mobs in Alabama and Mississippi attacked the Riders, sparking a summer of violence that drew the world’s attention to America’s desegregation struggle. In honor of the Ride’s 50th anniversary, NEWSWEEK replays its most iconic civil-rights covers:
