The Montgomery Bus Boycott Montgomery Alabama December 1

The Montgomery Bus Boycott Montgomery, Alabama December 1, 1955 – December 20, 1956

Background Plessy v. Ferguson versus Brown V. Board of Education. Segregation Still at large in the South. Sarah Keys v. Carolina Coach Company.

Bus Segregation Whites sat in the front. Blacks sat in the rear.

December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks, Secretary of Montgomery Chapter of NAACP arrested. Bus driven by James F. Blake When ordered to move back so that Whites might sit, Parks refused. Found guilty on Dec. 5, fined $10, but appealed.

Creating the Boycott E. D. Nixon – President of Montgomery Chapter NAACP § Between Park’s arrest and trial organized a meeting of local ministers. § Founded the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). § (later) Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. agrees to lead the MIA.

The Boycott Begins The Women’s Political Council issues their statement in protest of Park’s arrest. King holds mass meeting to get the support of the Black community. All agreed - The boycott had begun in full.

How it worked Buses received few, if any passengers. Blacks were using Carpools, Bicycles, Walking, or even Mule- or Horse-drawn carriages. Across the country, black churches collected money, and shoes to help support the boycott.

White Citizens’ Council A group that was opposed to racial integration. During the boycott, its membership doubled. Its members sometimes resorted to violence: § Firebomb attacks § Beatings and Physical assaults on boycotters q This was countered by King’s stance on ‘nonviolence’

Destruction at Ralph Abernathy’s house

Indictment King and 89 others were indicted on a city ordinance They turned themselves in instead. King ordered a fine or over a year in jail. Served less than two weeks.

Victory Browder V. Gayle: § February 1, 1956 – District Court case filed to end segregation within Montgomery Transit System. § June 4, 1956 – The District Court ruled in favor – was undone by an appeal. § November 13, 1956 – Supreme Court ruled in favor – Allowed black passengers to sit anywhere they wanted.

References Darby, Jean (1990). Martin Luther King, Jr. . Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group. pp. 41 -42. "Montgomery Bus Boycott: The story of Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement". Montgomeryboycott. com. Retrieved 2013 -1 -25. King, Jr. , Martin Luther. Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story. New York: Harper & Row, 1958. Print.