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Montgomery Bus Boycott
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The Montgomery Bus Boycott was staged to protest the segregation of city buses in Montgomery, Alabama. The boycott in 1955, launched to protest the arrest of NAACP activist Rosa Parks, marked the beginning of the civil rights movement in the South.
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There is no doubt that the Montgomery bus boycott was the pivotal point in the civil rights struggle; it was the first mass action movement of its kind. Inspirationally speaking, there were many others over the ten year period that eventually toppled the Jim Crow system. However, according to some political analysts, none was better organized. This can be attributed to the insightfulness and organizing talents of E.D. Nixon. Interestingly, Mr. Nixon never wanted national attention; he preferred to stay in the background and work.
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One particular area of resentment amongst Montgomery blacks of that era was the segregation law of the bus system. Blacks were the majority of the clientele of the buses accounting for 60% of the riders. Yet, they often were forced to adhere to oppressive conditions on buses. The bus drivers, all of who were white, treated blacks with racist and abusive attitudes, often calling their passengers derogatory names such as "nigger", "black cow", and "black ape". They often required blacks to pay their fares in the front of the bus, and then walk to the back door to board the bus. Sometimes though, bus drivers would take off before the passenger could get on leaving their passenger behind.
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Students will go to different Internet sites and find out about The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington. Students should be looking for what kinds of posters were made, how the people dressed, and what were the main issues that were being protested.
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A number of celebrations will mark the 50th anniversary of the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala., including a re-enactment of the arrest of Rosa Parks and a children's march. Reporter Gina Smith of Alabama Public Radio reports.
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Montgomery Bus Boycott