In many cases the students were attacked, beaten, and arrested. The black community raised money to bail them out. But the sit-ins attracted national publicity, and the students decided to keep up the pressure.
By the end of February 1960, sit-ins were being held in fifteen cities in a number of states, including North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
The first victory, a small one, came when blacks were served at the Greyhound bus terminal in Nashville, Tennessee. By May, six Nashville lunch counters began serving blacks. By October, a month before the presidential election, sit-ins had taken place in 112 southern cities, and many were still going strong.
On October 24, a truce was called by Atlanta’s city officials, merchants, and sit-in leaders. The sit-ins would stop, and any jailed protesters would be released.
