Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955 Flashcards
1
Q
What happened on 1st December 1955?
A
- Rosa parks broke segregation laws in Montgomery
- refused to give up seat on bus for white person
- she was arrested and fined
- caused a massive boycott of busses
2
Q
What were the Long-term causes of the Boycott?
A
- Women’s Political Council focused on bus discrimination since 1950
- Montgomery bus company discriminated black people by forcing them to sit at the back and vacate their seats for whites
- requests to bus company to change rules weren’t listened to
3
Q
What were short term causes of the boycott?
A
- Rosa parks refused to give up seat for white person
- Parks arrested and charged under Montgomery’s segregation laws
4
Q
What were events of the Boycott?
A
- 5 December 1955 - Formed Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) with MLK as chairman
- 8 December - bus company officials refuse to desegregate busses, MIA decide to boycott until victory and advise blacks to stop using busses until change
- 12 December - car pools open
- MIA negotiated reduced taxi fares with black drivers for boycotters
- 30 January 1956 - MLK’s house bombed, MLK called for peaceful protest and no retaliation
- Violence increased media coverage of boycott
- Non violent action emerged as clear and effective campaign approach
5
Q
How was Rosa Parks significant in the boycott?
A
- Understood principles of non violent direct action
- secretary of Montgomery NAACP
- already been involved in campaigns for black voter registration
6
Q
What are reasons for the boycott’s success?
A
- well organised - existing civil rights groups meant structure was already in place to get campaign running
- committed to success - boycott continued despite threats boycotters received, e.g. attacked
- well publicised - church meetings and local newspapers helped supporters get organised and communicate with each other
- bus company hurt financially - lost a lot of money as most customers were black
7
Q
What happened on the 5th of June?
A
- Supreme court ruled segregation on buses unconstitutional
- bus company appealed bus was then rejected
8
Q
What happened on 20 December?
A
- MIA called off boycott
- Racially integrated bus services began next day
9
Q
What is the significance of MLK’s leadership?
A
- emphasised Christian values of love and humility
- always advocated non violent approach
- many powerful speeches had a huge impact on audience
- tried to appeal to all Americans
- helped to boost morale and raise funds for MIA
- arrested in 1956 for part in organising boycott
10
Q
When was the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) setup?
A
January 1957
11
Q
Who were the leaders of SCLC and what did they do?
A
- MLK and Ralph Abernathy
- Campaigned against segregation
- Used non violent direct action
- secured black and white membership
- earliest major campaign was for voter registration
