The Montgomery Bus Boycott Flashcards
What was the immediate cause of the boycott?
The arrest of Rosa Parks
What was the WPC?
The Women’s Political Council, set up in Montgomery in 1946 to fight discrimination, had focused on bus reform since Jo Ann Robinson became president in 1950.
What was the WPC asking for?
Changes to the issues of drivers and empty seats.
Was Rosa Parks the first to do what she did?
Rosa Parks was not the first woman in Montgomery to be arrested for refusing to move on a segregated bus - in fact she was the sixth in 1955 alone.
Why did Rosa Parks become the figurehead of the boycott?
- Appeals to bus company officials for change were being ignored. More and more people were arrested for not giving up their seats. WPC warned Montgomery’s mayor Mayor Gayle that there would be a boycott if bus policy did not change. Parks’ arrest was the last straw.
- Parks was well regarded within the black community. There was disreputable about her that opponents could use to make her look bad and cast doubt on what she said.
- She was the secretary of the Montgomery NAACP and the leader of its Youth Council. She had been trained in how to behave in non-violent protest and was involved in voter registration.
- She would look good and know how to behave as the public face of the boycott.
When was Rosa Parks arrested?
1st December 1955
What did the WPC call for after Rosa Parks’ arrest?
The WPC called for a one-day boycott of the buses on the 5 December, in protest against her arrest.
How many black people (%) boycotted buses?
90% of black people who usually rode on the buses boycotted them.
What is the MIA?
Montgomery Improvement Association.
When was the MIA set up?
It was set up at a meeting at the Holt Street Baptist Church on the evening of 5 December/
What were the aims of the MIA?
To improve the lives of black people in Montgomery generally and to continue the bus boycott, pressing for the improvements demanded by the WPA (black drivers, fair seating and courtesy from white drivers).
Why was Martin Luther King chosen as the leader of the MIA?
- He was new in Montgomery, so had no friends or enemies among Montgomery’s white officials.
- He was a clergyman so the black community respected him.
- He was paid by the church, not a white business that could threaten to sack him.
- He was well educated and believed in black and white Americans working together for civil rights.
- He supported fighting for civil rights - but through non-violent direct action.
How did MLK use publicity to his advantage?
He understood the importance of publicity and toured the USA making speeches and raising money for the boycott.
Who was Joe Azbell?
Joe Azbell, a white reporter for the ‘Montgomery Advertiser’, went to the meeting at the Holt Street Baptist Church. A huge crowd had spilled out of the church and into the street, but the crowd let Azbell in because he was a white reporter. He was overwhelmed by King’s speech, and the response to it. He wrote an article saying the speech would start a flame that would sweep across America.
What did MLK do when his house was bombed with his family inside?
An angry crowd of over 300 black people was already there and a riot seemed possible. The mayor, chief of police and a number of policemen arrived. King arrived, checked on his family and told the crowd that no one was hurt. He stood on his bombed porch with white officials and did not shout at them or get angry. He asked the crowd not to react violently, but to go home peacefully and remember that they were believers in non violence. They obeyed.
