The USA Conflict Home and Abroad: 1.3

Question 1

Describe the causes for the one-day WPC boycott of the Montgomery buses on the 5th of December 1955

Answer 1

• the discrimination of black people (especially women) on the Montgomery buses
  [] white bus drivers took fares at the front of the bus, then made black passengers get off and re-board from the middle to avoid going through the white seating (sometimes they shut the doors and drove off before the black passengers could get back on)
  [] white bus drivers were quick to call the police if anyone refused to move for a white person to sit down
  [] bullied black passengers
• the WPC’s repeated demands for reform from the Montgomery bus company being deliberately ignored since 1950
  [] WPC wanted employment of black bus drivers, an end to empty seats (buses weren’t allowed to have mixed-race rows so the bus’ seating was rarely filled yet people still had to stand up), end to having to de-board then re-board the bus every time, and a change in the attitudes of white drivers
• Rosa Parks’ (organised) arrest for refusal to move for a white person on the first of December 1955
  [] WPC had warned Mayor Gayle of Montgomery and the bus company that they would boycott if another arrest happened

Question 2

Where was Montgomery ?

Answer 2

Alabama

Question 3

Why was Rosa Parks chosen to be the face of the WPC one-day boycott ?

Answer 3

• was a well-respected middle-aged woman with no history of crime or anything that could be used against her
  [] would make white people seem more oppressive for their arrest of her
  [] would make it apparent that even the most respectable people in the black community thought that the bus rules and racism should be changed, and it was not just a loud minority
• was the secretary of the NAACP Montgomery branch
  [] knew how to conduct herself as the face of the boycott
  [] knew the importance of publicity
  [] had been trained in non-violence

Question 4

What was significant about the WPC boycott on the 5th of December 1955 ?

Answer 4

• had 90% engagement from the black community
  [] showed that people were willing to support boycotts even if it inconvenienced them
  [] showed that black people could organise quickly and that it could be used to do real damage to institutional racism
  [] led to the 381 day boycott and the MIA’s creation

Question 5

Who were the MIA ?

Answer 5

• Montgomery Improvement Association
• established on the 5th of December 1955, the same day as the WPC bus boycott
  [] established in the Holt Street Baptist Church
• led by Martin Luther King
  [] other important people involved were E.D Nixon, Ralph David Abernathy and Jo Ann Robinson (also the WPC leader)
• aims were to improve the lives of the black community in Montgomery and to continue the bus boycott to press for the demands of the WPC

Question 6

Why was Martin Luther King chosen to be the leader of the MIA ?

Answer 6

• was new to Montgomery
  [] had no friends or enemies amongst the white politicians and people in positions of authority
• was a Baptist minister/clergyman
  [] meant he was well-respected amongst the black community
  [] paid by the black Church, not a white business that could threaten firing him to stop him speaking out for civil rights
  [] was a very good speaker on account of being trained to give sermons etc. and captured the hearts of his listeners
  [] was able to articulate political ideas in religious terms, which helped to further support of boycotts and campaigns amongst the highly religious black southern community
• believed in working WITH white people for progress in civil rights
  [] made him popular with white people, which made more people inclined to support his civil rights movement
  [] meant that white people felt comfortable being around King instead of hated by him, so white membership of the MIA and later the SCLC was significant
• believed in non-violent direct action to make progress in civil rights
  [] made him popular as a rational figure for white politicians to negotiate with
• well educated, so more likely to be listened to by white people
• greatly understood the importance of publicity for progress in civil rights and centred his campaigns around this
  [] toured the USA making speeches to raise money for the MIA’s boycott

Question 7

Describe the events of the MIA boycott

Answer 7

• 8 December
  [] MIA officials including King met with bus company officials to try and negotiate for the WPC’s earlier demands
  [] when the bus company refused, the MIA began the boycott
• 12 December
  [] MIA knew that some black people were unable to boycott buses due to physical inability to walk/cycle or due to the distance they had to travel everyday
  [] because of this, car pools were arranged by the MIA to help these people join the boycott, and they began on the 12th
• many black people faced discrimination, harassment and threats from employers during the boycott
  [] some were fired, but persisted in the boycott (increased publicity and funding for the MIA)
• January 1956
  [] WCC membership rose sharply
  [] Mayor Gayle and some of his officials joined the WCC in Montgomery
  []harrassment of boycotters on minor charges like speeding increased
• 30 January 1956
  [] King’s house was bombed by WCC members, with his wife and two-month-old daughter inside
  [] was a large, angry black crowd and riot seemed possible - MLK calmed them and reminded them of their belief in non-violence and they listened
• February 1 1956
  [] NAACP saw the boycott as an opportunity to get buses in Montgomery desegregated (this wasn’t originally part of the WPC’s demands)
  [] filed Browder v. Gayle (in the name of Aurelia Browder and four other black women arrested on buses)
  [] didn’t use Rosa Parks as her arrest in December may have complicated the case
  [] once the case was filed, the MIA held a meeting and agreed to demand desegregation as well
• February 22 1956
  [] 89 boycotters including King, Jo Ann Robinson, Ralph David Abernathy and E.D Nixon were arrested for “disrupting lawful business”
• March 19 1956
  [] trial of the 89 boycotters
  [] the boycotters brought evidence of the abuse, including murder, inflicted by white bus drivers
  [] PUBLICITY AND FUNDING FOR MIA INCREASED
  [] King was found guilty and fined $500
• 5th June 1956
  [] Supreme Court ruled that buses should be desegregated in Browder v. Gayle case, and gave Brown as the reason
• 13th November 1956
  [] bus company’s appeal about the Browder v. Gayle verdict failed to overturn the ruling
• 17th December 1956
  [] bus company’s second appeal about Browder v. Gayle was rejected
• 20 December 1956
  [] MIA stopped the boycott
• 21 December 1956
  [] integrated buses began running in Montgomery
  [] no further desegregation happened in Montgomery for many years though; even bus stops remained segregated

Question 8

Give the key reasons for the success of the boycott in 1955-56

Answer 8

• protesters persisted despite threats, bombing, loss of jobs/bank loans, jailing etc.
  [] raised lots of publicity for the cause
  [] their outward display of commitment was key in demonstrating just how deeply this issue affected the community
• people were very well informed about the dates of the boycotts, car pools, and were kept involved in decision-making through MIA meetings
  [] demonstrated the organisation of the black community
  [] helped everything to run smoothly
• existing groups like the WPC had existing contacts in the press, as well as supporters to back the cause
  [] raised publicity for the cause
• king’s leadership
  [] had widespread support and appeal amongst both black and white people
  [] understood the importance of publicity
  [] was key in raising funds for the MIA to continue the boycott long-term

Question 9

Who was Jo Ann Robinson ?

Answer 9

• leader of the WPC
• important in the MIA
• printed and handed out leaflets informing people about the boycotts with her students
• organised the original boycott

Question 10

Who was E.D Nixon ?

Answer 10

• NAACP member
  [] had been campaigning for civil rights for years already
• lacked the same appeal that King had due to his lack of education and powerful speaking, but was crucial in organising the MIA and funding it

Question 11

Who was Ralph David Abernathy ?

Answer 11

• clergyman and NAACP member
• provided most of the organisation during the boycott
• took over as leader of the MIA when King left Montgomery in 1959
• helped King lead the SCLC

Question 12

Who were the SCLC ?

Answer 12

• Southern Christian Leadership Council
• headed by King and Abernathy
• aimed to help coordinate church-based protest
  [] championed non-violent direct action
  [] had broad-based black AND white membership
  [] wanted all segregation to be rejected and protested against
• set up in January 1957
• first major campaign was in voter registration, to try and have enough black southern people voting in the 1958 and 1960 elections (house of representative seats and presidential elections)
  [] worked with black community to train for harsh voter registration tests

Question 13

Give the key areas of importance of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Answer 13

• highlighted the importance of publicity and organisation in orchestrating mass resistance for civil rights
• brought Martin Luther King into the spotlight
  [] made him a familiar face who people were attracted to and would willingly support in his later campaigns - especially for white people
• demonstrated how black non-violent protest generated massive white backlash and violence
  [] non-violent civil rights protesters later exploited this by protesting in areas where a reaction was likely, in order to generate publicity for their own causes

Question 14

Describe the aftermath of the boycott

Answer 14

• MIA and WPC achieved their aims of desegregation
• white backlash continued
  [] black people riding the bus were shot at
  [] the houses of MIA and WPC leaders were bombed
  [] WCC members were convicted for bombings but always acquitted by the all-white juries
• no further desegregation for years
• prompted a civil rights bill to be proposed in 1957
  [] lots of Dixiecrat opposition (Strom Thurmond spoke in a filibuster against it, massively slowing its passing)
  [] even President Eisenhower thought that forcing social change would have negative consequences for black people
• eventually, it was passed and signed on the 9th of September 1957
  [] the Act allowed federal courts to prosecute state violations of voting rights BUT these prosecutions would be tried in state courts
  [] the state courts in the south were very likely to have all-white, racist juries, so the Act didn’t really do much
  [] demonstrated the shift towards support of civil rights in congress and government, but also the power of opposing racist politicians in slowing progress