Montgomery´s Bus Boycott Essay

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, one of the leaders of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People [NAACP] refused to give up her seat to a white person on a segregated city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, despite being reprimanded by the driver (Schulke 166). Montgomery, Alabama was known for its terrible treatment of blacks. The buses in particular had been a source of tension between the city and black citizens for many years (Schulke, 167). As a result of refusing to give up her seat, Rosa Parks was arrested. Rosa Parks' popularity among the black community, proved to be the spark that ignited the non-violent Civil Rights Movement (Norrell 2).

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

Constitution. The 14th amendment guarantees all citizens, regardless of race, equal rights and equal protection under state and federal laws. The city appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which upheld the lower court's decision on December 20, 1956. Montgomery's buses were integrated on December 21, 1956, and the boycott ended. It had lasted 381 days. Even though in the eyes of the law the buses were integrated and the issue had been dealt with, African Americans still had to go through adversity and resistance from white people that usually resulted in violence. While the busses were integrated the people of Montgomery, Alabama figured out a new way to discriminate against African Americans, they retaliated with integrated bus stops and even violence. Occasionally snipers were paid to fire into public busses at African Americans in order to kill them and send a message. In January 1957, four black churches and the homes of prominent black leaders were bombed; a bomb at King's house was defuseq. On January 30, 1957, the Montgomery police arrested seven bombers; all were members of the Ku Klux Klan, a white

As a few white passengers boarded the bus and the white sections were already full so the driver shouted back at four black people including Rosa Parks “Move y'all, I want those two seats”. As this demand was made by the driver 3 of the bus riders obeyed to what was shouted back, however Rosa Parks remained in her seat and was determined not to move. She was arrested following the bus drivers order and fined ten dollars. This, however small incited a great wave of bus boycotts which in Montgomery black people chose not to ride the bus for a period of 381 days. This still to date is known as the moment in which the civil rights movement started to gain headway. It was the will of one woman who decided it was time for black people to take a stand and from this point on Martin Luther King was assigned to take this boycott on. Although he was assigned to take this on people also felt as he was young, fresh and people had not formulated enough of an opinion of him, there was little room for him to be hated yet so he posed as the right figure to lead this. After the many days of boycotting the case of this transport issue in Alabama went to the Supreme Court. Here it was decided that segregation was declared as unconstitutional so segregation by law was no

On Thursday evening December 1, 1955, Rosa boards a Montgomery City Bus to go home after a long day working as a seamstress. She walks back to the section for blacks, and takes a seat. The law stated that they could sit there if no White people were standing. Rosa parks never liked segregation rules and has been fighting against them for more than ten years in the NAACP, but until then had never broke any of the unjust rules. As the bus stops at more places, more white people enter the bus, all the seats in the “White Only” section was filled and the bus driver orders Rosa’s row to move to the back of the bus, they all moved, accept Rosa. She was arrested and fined for violating a city regulation. This act of defiance began a movement that ended legal Segregation in America, and made her an inspiration to freedom devoted people everywhere.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a political and social protest campaign started in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama. The law said that black people had to sit in the back of the bus while the the white people sat in the front. Bus drivers often referred to black people on the bus as nigger, black cow, or black ape. Blacks had to pay in the front of the bus and they had to get off to go threw the side door to sit in the back.

The protests full effect was achieved through the feet and resiliency of the travelers that organized carpools and walked long miles to work. Even with threats of violence and job loss, African Americans, many of which were poor, effectively crippled a bus system that received over 60 percent of its revenue from the African American community- they were resilient.

Unlike before real organizations were helping to expose the blatant discrimination towards African-Americans. New strategies to obtain legal equality like nonviolent sit ins, the "nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. "(Doc 3) These nonviolent protest helped add momentum to the legal action from reconstruction that were not taken seriously.

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

Since the Supreme Court case of Plessy Vs Ferguson way back in 1892, which ruled the separation of blacks and whites constitutional as long as all public facilities provided were “separate but equal,” the United States had been segregated. As with all other public facilities at the time, the busses in Montgomery Alabama were also subject to this segregation, and it wasn’t until 1956 with the beginning of what became to be known as the “Montgomery Bus

One of the sit-ins in Nashville, Tennessee caught the attention of many. The students involved were beaten but refused to fight back. But 81 demonstrators were arrested anyways for disorderly conduct. This arrest caught lots of attention from many people. One of the student leaders, Diane Nash, led 3,000 protesters in the one of the first major marches in this time period. She led this to challenge mayor, Ben West., to take a stand at the segregation that was going on. They accomplished what they wanted because they caught the attention they needed.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a crucial stepping stone for African-Americans to get the equal rights they demanded. This boycott happened in Montgomery, Alabama from December 5th, 1955 all the way until December 20th, 1956. To many it known as the first large demonstration against segregation in the U.S. Just four days before the start of the boycott a very important woman named Rosa Parks, did not agree to give up her seat on the bus to a white man on one of the Montgomery buses. The rules during this time frame were as follows:

The first large-scale protest against segregation was the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This movement began on December 5, 1955, and ended on December 20, 1956, which was in total 388 days. It was initially triggered four days after Rosa Parks did not giving up her seat for a white person on the bus. A meeting was held discussing the details of this boycott because in order for it to be successful everyone needed to follow through. Many sacrifices were made for the greater good during this revolutionary movement. Such as, carpooling or walking to many destinations. There was a strong sense of hope among African-Americans in order to follow through with this movement. Also the buses made most of their profit from the African-American

In the late eighteen hundreds, the Reconstruction by Congress was overturned by the Supreme Court. Segregation or separation by skin color was made a law which was adopted by private organizations, institutions and businesses (loc.gov). Physical violence and mental harassment was imposed upon those whom were deemed inferior in color. Some citizens accepted the law, as is, without question while others believed it was their supreme right to remain separate without modification. Human activists, that opposed this way of living, pursued an extensive battle to abolish racial inequity and segregation from American life (loc.gov). During the nineteen hundreds, many understood this treatment as an offense to human beings and activists began

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