MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT 1955-1956
Montgomery Bus Boycott 1955-1956
-In Montgomery, Alabama like other Southern states black Americans had to sit at the back of the bus and give up their seats to white people if the bus became full. - On 1 December 1955; 42 year old Rosa Parks (influential in the NAACP) was tired after a day at work and refused to give up her seat to a white man. She was arrested and put on trial on 5th December; being found guilty and having to pay a fine of $10.
The Boycott
70% of bus users were black and almost all of them joined the boycott. -Montgomery Improvement Association or MIA was set up to co-ordinate the boycott led by local Baptist minister Martin Luther King. -King's house was firebombed. - Boycott leaders were arrested because there was a 'No boycott' law in Alabama. -Taxi firms owned by black Americans helped to take people to work and car-pooling was organised. However, many people had to walk several miles each day. -The bus company lost 65% of its income because the majority of its customers were black. -Boycott lasted 381 days.
The Victory of the Boycott
On 20 December 1956 the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in transport was unconstitutional and the boycott was called off. This showed that victory could be achieved if black Americans acted together. It was a victory for the method of non-violent direct action. Seen as the first major civil rights victory. Martin Luther King emerged as leader of the civil rights movement.
