1.3: The Montgomery Bus Boycott and its impact, 1955-60 Flashcards
What happened dueing the orgins of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
1 December 1955 Rosa Parks broke segregation laws in Montgomery Albama by refusing to giver up her seat on a bus to a white person. She was arrested and fined. However, this influenced a mass boycott of the buses to campaign for civil rights.
When was orgin of the Montgomery Bus boycoot
1 December 1955
What influenced the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Long term causes:
Women’s politicsl council on Montgomery had focused on bus discrimination since 1950s
Black Americans were forced to sit at the back and make space for white people and they refused to change the rules
Short tem causes: Rosa park 1 December 1955 and he arrest and fine from Montgomery law due to her upstance against discrimination
Events of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
5 December 1955:
MIA formed and elected MLK as their chairman to boycott city buses in Montgomery,
8 December:
MIA met bus company officials, who refused to change segregation on the buses. The MIA decided to continue the boycott until they won. As a result no black Americans used the bus.
12 December:
The MIA discussed with church groups and organsiation to hold car sharing/pools along with redued tax fares with black drivers.
30 January 1956:
MLK house was bombed. However, King responsed by enforcing peaceful retaliation. There was widespread media of the event showing sympathy for Black Americans
Significance of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
It paved the way for future campaigns and brought Marthin Luther King to the forefront of the civil rights movement.
Significance of Rosa Parks
Parks ws a married middle-aged women it was difficult to ridicule her for bad behaviour.
She was involved in campaigns for blsck voter registratiion
She was the secretary of the Montgomery NAACP
Understood principles of non-violent direct action
Reasons for the succes of the Montgomery bus boycott
Well organised:
Existing civil right groups led to the campaign to be running effectively by the MIA
Commited to success:
Many physically attacked and fired from their jobs. However, they pressed forward
Well publicised:
Campaigns were spread through church meetings and local newspaper. This led to effective communication with supporters.
Bus company was hurt financially:
Majority of members were black Americans. Therefore, lost a significant amount fo money
How did the supreme court react to the bus boycotts and what did they do
NACCP brought case to desegregate Montgonnery buses on Febuary 1st 1956, their lawyers filed Browder V Gayle against bus segregation. They argued it was against the 14 Amendment.
On 5th June 1956 the Supreme Court order bus segregation unconstitutional. The bus company appealed although it was rejected.
On 20 December the MIA called off the boycott on 21 December integrated bus services began
Signifcance of MLK leadership
King was a poster enforced love and humility (christian values)
King made powerful speeches and was influential
King appealed to all Americans regardless of race
Boosted and raised morale for the MIA
What were the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Conference set up to coordinate church-based protests across the South led by MLK and Ralph Abernathy.
The members campaigned against segregation through non-violent direct action and secured blsck snd white membership.
The earliest major campaign was for voting registration
When was the Southern Christian Leadership Conference set up
Set up in January 1957
What was the 1957 Civil Rights act
In 1957 a civil rights act was passed through Congress. This aimed to increase black voter registration, make it illegal to obstruct voter registration and allowed federal courts to persecute stated which did so.
However, all white juries in Southern States were unlikely to uphold federal prosecutions of state violation to voting rights
