Many Americans were shocked by the news coverage of freedom marches in Birmingham because of the violence and brutality displayed by the police and law enforcement officials against peaceful protesters. The images and reports of police using water cannons, attack dogs, and batons against unarmed civil rights activists drew widespread outrage and condemnation. This level of violence was not widely expected or anticipated by the general public, and it forced the nation to confront the harsh reality of racial segregation and discrimination in the southern United States.