FREEDOM WALKERS
Freedman
How many days did the Montgomery bus boycott last? 381 days. Frontispiece
The dedication says “FOR KATE The warm and moving spirit of ______ House”. Fill in the
blank. Holiday
What years was the Montgomery bus boycott? 1955-1956. Page xi
What state is Montgomery? Alabama.
Where did African Americans have to sit on the bus? In the back. Page 1
What is it called when black people and white people are separated? Segregation. Page 1
What were the laws called that enforced the system of white supremacy that discriminated
against blacks and kept them in their place4 as second class citizens? “Jim Crow” laws. Page 1.
Name three places people were segregated by race. Hospitals, cemetaries, schools, churches,
restaurants, hotels movie theaters. They were also not allowed to drink from the same drinking
fountain.
What constitutional right were blacks denied? The right to vote.
What is the tax called that was required to vote? Poll tax. Page 2.
The poll tax was required for whom? All voters. Page 2.
All voters had to pass a test. What was this test called? Literacy test. Page 2.
Why did the poll tax prevent blacks and some whites from voting? It was too expensive. Page
2.
Who said as she looked back at it as the most humiliating experience of her life, “a deep hurt that
would not heal.” Jo Ann Robinson. Page 4
Where was Jo Ann Robinson going to visit relatives just before Christmas 1949? Cleveland,
Ohio. Page 4.
What was the airport called in Montgomery, Alabama? Dannelly Field. Page 4
What is Dannelly Field? The airport in Montgomery, AL. Page 4
What college in Alabama was an all-black college? Alabama State. Page 4.
What subject did Jo Ann Robinson teach? English. Page 4.
How much did it cost Jo Ann Robinson to ride the bus? One dime. Page 4
Who said “I took the fifth row seat from the font and sat down immediately closing my eyes and
envisioning in my mind’s eye the wonderful two-week vacation I would have with my family
and friends in Ohio”? Jo Ann Robinson. Page 5
How many seats on the bus were reserved for whites? The front ten. Page 7.
What is the organization called that JoAnn Robinson joined that advanced black community
interests? Women’s Political Council. Page 8
On the buses, who had the power to expand the white section? The driver. Page 8
How did blacks enter the buses? The rear door. Page 8
What is the name of the church many Alabama State Teachers attended? Dexter Avenue Baptist
Church. Page 10
Under what circumstance was the Women’s Political Council founded? The League of Women
Voters refused to accept blacks. Page 10
When JoAnn Robinson was elected president of the Women’s Political Council, what issue took
priority? Segregated seating on public buses. Page 10
What was different with bus stops in black neighborhoods than the bus stops in white
neighborhoods? They were further apart. Page 10
What is the room called where a black student sat, separated from the white students at Univ. of
Oklahoma? The Anteroom. Page 11
In 1954 the front page of a newspaper said the US Supreme Court had declared that segregation
in the nation’s public schools was unconstitutional. What was the name of the newspaper? The
Montgomery Advertiser. Page 11
What is the name of the Mayor of Montgomery? W.A. “Tacky” Gale. Page 12
In her letter to Mayor Gale, what did Jo Ann Robinson say blacks were talking about doing?
Boycotting buses. Page 12
Why was Edwina and Marshall Johnson arrested? They would not move from the bus seat.
Page 14
Where were Edwina and Marshall Johnson from? New Jersey. Page 14
What high school did Claudette Colvin attend? Booker T. Washington High. Page 15
Who said “It’s my constitutional right to sit here just as much as that (white) lady”. Claudette
Colvin. Page 16
Who bailed Claudette Colvin out of jail? The paster of her church. Page 17
What was E.D. Nixon employed as? A railroad sleeping car porter. Page 19
What organization did E.D. Nixon start? NAACP. Page 19
What does NAACP stand for? National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Page 19
Where did Fred Gray go to law school? Ohio Page 20
Why did Fred Gray go to law school in Ohio? There wasn’t a law school for blacks in Alabama.
Page 20
How many black attorneys were in Montgomery? Two. Page 20
What was Claudette Colvin found guilty of? Assault. Page 20
In what book do you read “I had to be sure I had somebody I could win with…to ask people to
give us a half million dollars to fight discrimination on a bus line”. Page 21
In what book do you read, “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” Page 23
What occupation did Rosa Parks have? Seamstress. Page 23
What position did Rosa have in the NAACP? Secretary. Page 23
When Rosa Parks was seven, she was given a flour sack. What did she collect in the sack?
Cotton. Page 25
What did Rosa Parks do to earn money to pay for laboratory school at Alabama State College?
Cleaned classrooms. Page 25
What did the laboratory school at Alabama State College do? Trained black teachers. Page 25
In what book do you read, “I had a high school diploma, but I could only get jobs that didn’t
need a diploma”. Page 25 Said by Rosa Parks.
Where did Rosa Parks work before becoming a seamstress? Hospital and shirt factory. Page 25
What is Court Square? Rosa Park’s regular bus stop. Page 26
What is Rosa Park’s regular bus stop? Court Square page 26
Rosa Parks didn’t give up her seat on the bus. Some people thought it was for a reason that
wasn’t true. What was that reason? She was tired. Page 27
In what book do you read, “As I sat there, I tried not to think about what might happen. I knew
that anything was possible. I could be manhandled or beaten.” Page 28 Said by Rosa Parks.
Who was the first person Rosa Parks saw when she was released from jail? Virginia Durr. Page
30
“There were tears in her eyes, and she seemed shaken, probably wondering what they had done
to me. As soon as they released me, she put her arms around me, and hugged and kissed me as if
we were sisters.” Page 30-31. Rosa Parks
What was Rosa Park’s husband’s name? Raymond Page 31
Why did Nixon decide to fight Rosa Park’s case and not Claudette Colvin’s case? He felt
Claudette was too immature and prone to emotional outbursts. Rosa was a stronger more
confident person. Page 31 (Reference page 20)
What occupation did Rosa’s husband Raymond have? Barber. page 31
Where did Rosa Park’s husband work? Maxwell Air Force Base. Page 31
For what reason was Emmett Till killed? He allegedly whistled at a white woman. Page 31
“I decided that I would have to know once and for all what rights I had as a human being and a
citizen, even in Montgomery, Alabama.” Page 33 Rosa Parks.
Instead of grading exams, Robinson and her friends went to Alabama State College to do what?
Draft a letter of protest. To stage a one-day bus boycott. Page 33
What machine was used to copy the letter informing of the bus boycott? Mimeograph. Page 33
In the type written letter telling of the one day boycott, what day of the week were all negros
asked to stay off the buses? Monday. Page 35
“I don’t want anybody to call me a coward”. Page 36 Martin Luther King
At the Court Square bus shelter, someone posted a sign written on a piece of cardboard that said,
PEOPLE DON’T RIDE THE BUSES TODAY. DON’T RIDE IT FOR _____. Ride it for what?
FREEDOM. Page 37
What was different about the bus Corretta King saw out of the front window that made her cry?
It was empty. Page 37
What is Martin Luther King’s wife’s name? Corretta
Martin Luther King SR was often called something. What? Daddy King. Page 39
What did Martin Luther King JR earn a doctorate in? Theology. Page 39
Where did Martin Luther King JR earn his doctorate? Boston University. Page 39
During the bus boycott, how did black people get to work? Taxi or walk.
In January, the bus company in Mongomery announced it was on the verge of bankruptcy. Why
was it going bankrupt? No one was riding the buses. Page 59
In Montgomery, who besides the bus company was suffering due to lack of business during the
bus boycott? Downtown businesses. Page 59
“If the mayor wants to come and do my washing and ironing and look after my children and
clean my house and cook my meals, he can do it” Page 61 (no name)
The commissioners had thought of a way to end the bus boycott. What did they think would end
it? Discredit King and his fellow black leaders. Page 62
What did policemen do in an effort to aid the halt of the bus boycott? Wrote tickets to car pool
drivers (for minor infractions). Pages 62-63
Why was Martin Luther King Jr. released from jail earlier than expected? There was a
large/noisy crowd of supporters outside the jailhouse. Page 63
“With my head in my hands, I bowed over the table and prayed aloud…Almost at once my fears
began to go. My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything”. Page 64 Martin
Luther King
Who were the two men inside Martin Luther King’s home after the bombing? The police
commissioner and mayor. Page 66
“If you have weapons, take them home. If you do not have them, please do not seek to get
them…Remember, we are not advocating violence…We must meet hate with love.” Page 66
Martin Luther King
Acid was poured over JoAnn Robinson’s car, which burned holes in it. What did she do with
that car? She kept it. “It had become the most beautiful car to me”. Page 67
Instead of being arrested, boycotters turned themselves in. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to join
them. Who tried to talk him out of turning himself in? His father. Page 69
At one time, being arrested had terrified the black community. When they turned themselves in,
what did they consider being arrested? A badge of honor. Page 71
For what cause did the black boycotters turn themselves in? The cause of Freedom. Page 71
Martin Luther King was one of how many ministers to be arrested? 24. Page 71
After Martin Luther King Jr.’s house was bombed, who filed papers in federal court challenging
bus segregation as a violation of the United States Constitution. Fred Gray Pages 71-72
Name two countries reporters arrived in Montgomery to cover the boycott. Europe, Japan, India
and Australia. Pages 76-77
What were Martin Luther King Jr.’s two sentence options when he was found guilty? Either pay
a $500 fine or serve a year at hard labor. Page 77
“To convict me, he had to face the condemnation of the nation and world opinion. To acquit me,
he had to face the condemnation of the local community and those voters who kept him in office.
Throughout the proceedings he had treated me with great courtesy, and he rendered a verdict
which he probably thought was the best way out.” Page 77 Martin Luther King Jr.
What was Martin Luther King Jr. found guilty of? Leading an “illegal” boycott. Page 78.
What did the White Citizens Council try to do to halt the rolling churches? Pressured insurance
agents to discontinue insurance coverage on the vehicles. Page 80
When insurance agents discontinued insurance on the rolling churches, King arranged a new
insurance through a black agent in Atlanta. Where did agent buy a policy? Lloyd’s of London.
Page 80
As Martin Luther King Jr. and many others sat in a courtroom during the injunction of the ban on
carpooling, on November 13, what ruling came from the Supreme Court? That bus segregation
laws were unconstitutional. Page 83
The Supreme Court decision to declare segregation unconstitutional was no seen as a victory of
blacks, but in Martin Luther King’s words a victory for WHAT? Justice and democracy. Page
83
“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I
became a man, I put away childish things.” Page 84 Reverend Robert Graetz (Scripture)
What needed to happen before the Supreme Court’s ruling to ban segregation could take place?
Official Court papers need to be issued and served on city officials. Page 84
Between the time the Supreme Court ruled to ban segregation and the time it actually took effect
was five weeks. What plan did Reverend S. S. Seay coordinate to transport blacks? Share-a-ride
plan. Page 84
Before blacks were allowed to ride busses, black leaders held meetings twice a week to teach
something. What did they teach? Nonviolent techniques. Page 85
Who was one of the first black men to board a bus after the segregation laws were ruled
unconstitutional? Martin Luther King Jr. Page 87
The Montgomery bus boycott marked the beginning of what movement? The modern civil rights
movement. Page 89
Young black and white people rode buses through the South, testing a Supreme Court decision
that ordered integrated facilities for all interstate passengers. What were these people called?
Freedom Riders. Page 91
Martin Luther King Jr. made a famous speech. What is the name of that speech? I Have a
Dream. Page 94
Where did Martin Luther King Jr. stand to give his “I Have a Dream” speech? On the steps of
the Lincoln Memorial. Page 94
Who, in 1963m asked Congress to pass a federal law that would end legal segregation?
President John F. Kennedy. Page 95
What act was considered the highest achievement of the civil rights movement? The Voting
Rights Act. Page 95
Rosa Parks is celebrated as the Mother of something. Mother of what? Mother of the Civil
Rights Movement. Page 97
“There are hundreds of people who made a contribution. The children coming on behind us
ought to know the truth about this. The truth will set you free.” Page 99 E.D. Nixon