Montgomery Bus
Boycott
US History
Jay Pritchett
Historical Question
• To what extent did the Montgomery Bus Boycott
motivate the African Americans to demand the end of
segregation?
Historical Relevance
• Rosa Parks defiance had sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott
and helped escalate the Civil Rights Movement.
Learning Objectives
• Illustrate how the Montgomery Bus Boycotts showed the
power and influence of the African American community.
• Demonstrate how it changed the course of the Civil Rights
movement.
Segregation
• Definition – the enforced separation of different racial groups.
• First started when African Americans came over the Atlantic as
slaves.
• During the 1950s – African Americans had to use public
services such as schools expressly for Colored People.
Rosa Parks
• Born on February 4, 1913 in
Tuskegee, Alabama to a carpenter
and a teacher.
• As a child, her mother encouraged
her to be active in the struggle for
civil rights.
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• She married a barber, Raymond
Parks in 1932. Both were members
of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP). She also served as the
secretary of the Montgomery
chapter.
What REALLY happened on the
bus
• On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks left
Montgomery Fair and got on the same
bus as she did every night.
• She always sat in the “black section”
of the bus.
• The bus became full and the driver
instructed Rosa Parks to give up her
seat.
• She refused to give it up and was
arrested.
• Found guilty of violating the law and
fined.
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Why Rosa Parks
• Claudette Colvin, age 15, had
also refused to give up her
seat 9 months ago on the
same bus.
• The NAACP considered using
her incident as test case but
due to her pregnancy it was
dropped.
• Parks had decided to
approach the NAACP and
volunteer to become a test
case.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAparksR2.
jpg
The Boycott
• After Parks arrest Martin Luther King JR helped organize
protests against the bus segregation.
• The boycott was originally only planned for the Monday after
Parks was arrested December 3.
• A night mass was held that day to determine if the protest
should continue. Attendees enthusiastically agreed for it to
continue.
• The boycott proved extremely effective and caused serious
economic damage to the bus system.
• The boycott lasted for a year from December 3, 1955 to
December 20, 1965.
• 17,000 African Americans walked to work, car pooled, cycled
and even rode horses and donkeys to work for 13 months until
the desegregation of buses.
Civil Rights Turning Point
• It was the first time African Americans showed their unity in
their cause for Civil Rights.
• Bus companies were crippled financially because most of their
riders were African Americans and most of those were women
going to housekeeping jobs.
Conclusion
• Illustrate how the Montgomery Bus Boycotts showed the
power and influence of the African American community.
• Demonstrate how it changed the course of the Civil Rights
movement.
Works Cited
• Burns, Stewert. "Montgomery Bus Boycott." Encyclopedia of
Alabama. Auburn University, 9 June 2008. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.
• Cozzens, Lisa. "The Montgomery Bus Boycott." Civil Rights
Movement 1955-1965:. 29 June 1998. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.
• "Montgomery Bus Boycott." History Learning Site. Web. 25 Mar.
2012.
• "Rosa Parks." Academy of Achievement. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.
• "Rosa Parks: Biography." Spartacus Educational. Web. 10 May 2012.
• Wexler, Sanford. The Civil Rights Movement: An Eyewitness History.
New York, NY: Facts on File, 1993. Print.