Montgomery Bus Montgomery Bus BoycottBoycott

Leaving Cert History: Case Leaving Cert History: Case StudyStudy

Why Montgomery?Why Montgomery?

► Despite threats and Despite threats and violence, the civil rights violence, the civil rights movement quickly movement quickly moved beyond school moved beyond school desegregation to desegregation to challenge segregation in challenge segregation in other areas.other areas.

► In December 1955, In December 1955, Rosa Parks a member of the a member of the Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery, Alabama, branch of the NAACP, branch of the NAACP, was told to give up her was told to give up her seat on a city bus to a seat on a city bus to a white person.white person.

Parks ArrestedParks Arrested

► When Parks refused When Parks refused to move, she was to move, she was arrested.arrested.

► The local NAACP, led The local NAACP, led by Edgar D. Nixon, by Edgar D. Nixon, recognized that the recognized that the arrest of Parks might arrest of Parks might rally local African rally local African Americans to protest Americans to protest segregated buses.segregated buses.

Woman fingerprinted. Mrs. Rosa Parks, Negro seamstress, whose refusal to move to the back of a bus touched off the bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala.

The BoycottThe Boycott

► Montgomery’s African Montgomery’s African American community had American community had long been angry about their long been angry about their mistreatment on city buses mistreatment on city buses where white drivers were where white drivers were rude and abusive.rude and abusive.

► The community had The community had previously considered a previously considered a boycott of the buses and boycott of the buses and overnight one was overnight one was organized.organized.

► The bus boycott was an The bus boycott was an immediate success, with immediate success, with almost unanimous support almost unanimous support from the African Americans from the African Americans in Montgomery.in Montgomery.

Martin Luther King’s Martin Luther King’s involvementinvolvement► A Baptist minister named A Baptist minister named

Martin Luther King, Jr. was was president of the president of the Montgomery Improvement Montgomery Improvement Association, the Association, the organization that directed organization that directed the boycott.the boycott.

► His involvement in the His involvement in the protest made him a national protest made him a national figure. Through his eloquent figure. Through his eloquent appeals to Christian appeals to Christian brotherhood and American brotherhood and American idealism he attracted people idealism he attracted people both inside and outside the both inside and outside the South.South.

Martin Luther King a the Martin Luther King a the SCLCSCLC

► King became the president of King became the president of the Southern Christian the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) Leadership Conference (SCLC) when it was founded in 1957. when it was founded in 1957.

► The SCLC complemented the The SCLC complemented the NAACP’s legal strategy by NAACP’s legal strategy by encouraging the use of encouraging the use of nonviolent, direct action to nonviolent, direct action to protest segregation. protest segregation.

► These activities included These activities included marches, demonstrations, and marches, demonstrations, and boycotts.boycotts.

► The harsh white response to The harsh white response to African Americans’ direct African Americans’ direct action eventually forced the action eventually forced the federal government to federal government to confront the issue of racism in confront the issue of racism in the South.the South.

VictoryVictory

► The boycott lasted for The boycott lasted for more than a year, more than a year, expressing to the nation expressing to the nation the determination of the determination of African Americans in the African Americans in the South to end segregation.South to end segregation.

► In November 1956, a In November 1956, a federal court ordered federal court ordered Montgomery’s buses Montgomery’s buses desegregated and the desegregated and the boycott ended in victory.boycott ended in victory.