Montgomery Bus Boycott

In the book My Soul is Rested, Howell Haines is a collection of stories from the Civil Rights Movement Era, where it includes stories from the individuals who advocated. Not just the known people such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Park, but other individuals who went up against the violence and discrimination. The individuals who wanted to claim rights that were “rightful theirs” and properly deserve because they are being citizens of the United States. In My Soul is Rested: “The Beginning,” Raines is arranged mostly of interviews, Montgomery Bus Boycott before and after the event of many different historical people (Raines). The interview illustrates in depth about who the individuals were that participated in the boycott and what the

Martin Luther King Jr. was very important during the times where African Americans were not being treated equally and being discriminated. He fought for what was right without using violence. He spread his massages throughout the world. When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man, activist decided to set up a boycott. This became known as the Montgomery bus boycott. King was chosen to be the protest’s leader and spokesperson. About a

Source B, shows some of the reasons why, African-American wanted to protest and fight for civil rights. Montgomery’s black leaders, which included Jo Ann Robinson, E.D. Nixon, and Ralph Abernathy formed the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) to protest the arrest of Parks in December 1955. They selected Martin Luther King Jr. to lead the association. During the boycott, African-Americans refused to use city buses, in order to protest segregated seating. They organised carpools so that they could sustain the boycott. The boycott lasted 381 days, starting on December 5, 1955, and ending on December 20, 1956. The Montgomery federal court decided that any law that segregated the seating on buses, breached the 14th Amendment in the U.S. Constitution on June 5, 1956. The Constitution was adopted in 1868, after the American Civil War. The Amendment demanded that all citizens, regardless of race, have equal rights and protection under state and federal laws. This ruling was not received well by the white population of America.

An man from India deeply influenced a black man in America who persuaded black Americans to peacefully seek civil rights. Blacks in America were once slaves. They had neither freedom nor rights. Now, in the 20th century, segregation has been abolished and discrimination has largely been reduced and blacks are more able to live freely as American citizens. In Early 1950’s, blacks did not have civil rights, so they had to fight for their freedom. In 1955, blacks decided to rally together for social justice and planned a boycott. This boycott became known as the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This boycott was pivotal in the Civil Right Movement by energizing blacks, particularly in the South, to become more involved in politics. This occurred with

On the morning of parks trial buses rumbled nearly empty through the streets of Montgomery. By the next morning the council led by Jo Ann Robinson had printed 52,000 fliers asking, Montgomery blacks to stay off the buses. It was an important and an accepted rule that whites sit in the front and the African American riders had to sit in the back of all buses. A group of about 50 African American leaders and one white minister, Robert Graetz, gathered in the basement of Dr. King?s church to endorse the boycott and begin planning a massive rally.

Later, due to the events of the boycott, Martin Luther King Jr. emerged and was the movement’s “most effective leader” (Clayborne Carson). He is known for his nonviolent tactics and his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. Martin Luther King Jr. was also a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and later became the president of the SCLC in 1957 following the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was successful because the protesters used nonviolence, the community helped each other, and the car pool was a major step in outcome. First of all, on March 22, 1956, Martin Luther King Jr. gives a speech and he states, “Democracy gives us this right to protest and that is all we are doing. We can say honestly that we have not advocated violence, have not practiced it, and have gone courageously on with a Christian movement”. This statement exemplifies that the protesters have done nothing wrong and they don’t plan on using violence. To continue, in a letter by Virginia Foster Durr written on January 30, 1956, she writes,“I think it is the first time that a whole Negro community has ever stuck together this way and

Prior to the bus boycott, Jim Crow laws enabled the racial segregation of the Montgomery Bus Line. As a result of this segregation African Americans were not hired as drivers, were forced to ride in the back of the bus, and were frequently ordered to surrender their seats to white people even though black passengers made up 75% of the bus system's riders. The boycott also took place within a larger statewide and national movement for civil rights, including court cases such as Morgan v. Virginia, the earlier Baton Rouge bus boycott, and the arrest of Claudette Colvin.

The boycott started whenever Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white person, and then continued into much more. The Women’s Polotical Council asked for many different things , such as a city law where blacks set from back till front and white sit from front till back, blacks not be forced to pay fare at front, busses stop of every corner in residential sections occupied with blacks.

Following the seemingly successful 1950s Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, a protest for segregation where African Americans under the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) refused to ride Alabama buses, ended after 381 days when the Supreme Court ordered Alabama to integrate its bus systems, the state figuratively dragged its heels in changing its transit. In fact, ten years later when the Supreme Court ruled segregated buses unconstitutional nationwide yet southern states still refuse to integrate their buses, despite attending college for a ministerial career and knowing the likelihood that the southerners would violently resist, James L. Farmer Jr. , a Gandhi-influenced activist, saw the opportunity to

After learning about the boycott and searching on various websites about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery boycott. I found that white people served an important role in this resistance movement. After a period of time the boycott started, white people in Montgomery split into three major groups. While most of the white people opposed the boycott with violent actions, some whites still helped their African American employees by providing transportation support. Another business group who wanted to make profits from black, remained peaceful and negotiated with boycott leaders.

We will stand and succeed if we are all on the same team, if we are divided we will fall and fail. Parks began the way for desegregation ("Rosa Parks Biography”). She did not go unnoticed (“WSU”). The buss boycott improved the rights of the black people (“montgomery”). The bus boycott took 13 months until the Supreme Court overruled segregation on public busses (“montgomery bus boycott”). She fought for racial equality, and succeeded (“montgomery’’). Two head’s are always better than one. Martin Luther King Jr. have been hearing that Parks was arrested. He called a church meeting (“rosa parks pictures”). He wanted things to change, just as much as she did. That’s when he thought about boycotting. The city would lose a lot of money if the black did not ride the bus (“rosa parks pictures”).

Therefore, they then appointed Rosa Parks – a hardworking, credible, lighter skinned woman – as the face of the boycott. Parks agreed and nine months after Colvin’s initial arrest, the NAACP’s plan was put into action and Rosa Parks did the same exact thing as Colvin, yet she was credited with the fame as being the first African American woman to refuse a white woman of having her seat. Once she was arrested, she had any of the other Civil Rights activists backing her up and supporting her. She had Martin Luther King supporting her and because he was already well renowned for his commitment to desegregating the South and advocating for equal rights amongst everyone, he also had a lot of support and his followers and supporters became Rosa’s followers and

Right After Parks arrest “local civil rights activist initiated a boycott of the Montgomery bus system.” (“The Story Behind the Bus”) The companies of the buses began sending messages reminding them that African Americans are unequal. Seventy five percent of passengers were colored, so the boycott created great economic damage, it lasted of three hundred and eighty one days. Rosa set a great standard and inspired others,even Martin Luther King: “Rosa Parks initiated a new era in the American quest for freedom and equality.”

First of all, It was succesful because African Americans had other ways of transportation besides the bus. Secondly, there is a threat to the city’s government because the bus companies are losing money;due to three fourths of the riders that are black.This was succesful because it made the bus companies lose money. Lastly,It is all over the news and people will eventually start to see it and watch it .Now more and more people heard it and will start to agree with eachother.This is also very succesful because by sharing this news will increase money.As said from Rosa Parks,” You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right” -Rosa