In 1964 there was a demonstration outside the American Consulate in Canberra at which two thousand people were present to protest racial segregation and civil rights in the United States. Many people in the general public said that if the protesters were going to go to such lengths, why not protest racial segregation in our own country. This feedback led to the creation of our own Australian Freedom Riders, based on the American Freedom Riders who were making a difference to civil rights and discrimination in America. They traveled across America to raise awareness of issues related to the rights of African Americans and helped achieve equality. The Australian Freedom Riders helped secure freedom for Indigenous Australians, as did the Americans. The Australian Freedom Riders were made up of thirty students who attended the University of Sydney. These students had heard about the American Freedom Riders and it inspired them to make a difference in the Australian community. The whole idea of ​​their trip was to help break down the socially discriminatory barriers that stood between indigenous and non-indigenous people. They planned to draw attention to the poor health, education and housing of the natives and finally, they also wanted to encourage the natives to defend themselves against discrimination. Charles Perkins, an Alice Springs-born man and third-year art student at the University of Sydney, said: "The idea of ​​the Freedom Riders was not in my mind for white people, it was for natives that they realize that the second class is not good enough, you. you don't always have to be first class, but you don't always have to be second class. The trip was planned... middle of paper ...... the suburbs would have taken much longer. Works Cited “Freedom Ride, 1965” (visited May 2014) “Charles Perkins: Freedom Rides” (visited May 2014) “The 1965 Freedom Ride” (visited May 2014) “Freedom Ride Bus Tour through Rural NSW” ( visited May 2014) “Commemorating the Freedom Ride” (visited May 2014) Various authors (2012) Oxford Big Ideas Australian Curriculum History 10, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Victoria