The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a civil rights protest during which African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama, to protest segregated seating. The boycott took place from December 5, 1955, to December 20, 1956, and is regarded as the first large-scale U.S. demonstration against segregation. The protest was coordinated by the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), a group of local ministers formed to support and sustain the boycott and the legal challenge to the segregation laws. The MIA elected as their president a charismatic young preacher, Martin Luther King Jr., who emerged as a prominent national leader of the civil rights movement. The boycott also involved grassroots activist groups, such as the Club from Nowhere, and the Women's Political Council (WPC), a group of Black women working for civil rights.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Date | December 5, 1955 – December 20, 1956 |
Duration | 381 days |
Location | Montgomery, Alabama |
Protesters | African Americans |
Protestee | Montgomery Bus Line |
Reason | Racial segregation on the public transit system |
Notable Figures | Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Jo Ann Robinson, E.D. Nixon, Claudette Colvin, Mary Louise Smith, Fred Gray, Aurelia Browder, Susie McDonald, Ralph Abernathy |
Organisations | Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), Women's Political Council (WPC), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) |
What You'll Learn
Women's Political Council (WPC)
The Women's Political Council (WPC) was a group of Black women working for civil rights in Montgomery, Alabama. Founded in 1946 by Mary Fair Burks, an English professor at Alabama State College, the WPC sought to improve the situation of African Americans in the city. The council was primarily made up of Montgomery public school teachers and college professors who encouraged voter registration, organized education programs, and sought to include African Americans in local civic groups.
In the early 1950s, the WPC, under the leadership of Jo Ann Robinson, another English professor at Alabama State, began to focus on the mistreatment of African American bus riders. In 1953, Robinson and other African American leaders presented three complaints to the city:
- African American patrons were forced to stand by empty white-only seats;
- There were fewer stops in African American neighbourhoods than in white neighbourhoods;
- African American patrons were expected to pay fares at the front of the bus and then enter from the rear.
The WPC met regularly with city officials and the bus company to discuss these issues, but little changed. In March 1954, the bus company agreed to increase the number of bus stops in African American neighbourhoods, but community frustration continued to grow. In May 1954, Robinson wrote a letter to Mayor W.A. Gayle, politely reiterating the problems and indicating that support for a boycott of city buses was increasing.
In March 1955, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus. The WPC helped to arrange meetings between Black leaders, the bus company, and city officials, and they also began to plan for a boycott. However, they decided to postpone the implementation of their plans until they could ensure widespread community support.
In December 1955, Rosa Parks, an adult African American woman, was arrested for the same offence as Claudette Colvin. This event triggered the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a 13-month mass protest that ended with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses is unconstitutional. The WPC, under Robinson's leadership, sprang into action. They drafted, mimeographed, and distributed 50,000 flyers throughout the city, calling for a boycott of the city buses on December 5, the day of Parks' trial. The boycott was a success, with 90% of Montgomery's African American residents staying off the buses.
The WPC was critically involved in the daily activities of the boycott, driving carpools, organizing mass meetings, and communicating with protesters. They also held all four paid staff positions in the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), the organization charged with managing the boycott. Despite their crucial role in the civil rights struggle, the women of the WPC received little recognition for their contributions.
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National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was one of the groups involved in the Montgomery Bus Boycotts. The Montgomery chapter of the NAACP was led by E.D. Nixon, who secured bail for Rosa Parks after her arrest. Nixon, along with other black leaders, called a mass meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church, where they voted to extend the bus boycott under the direction of the newly formed Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA).
Rosa Parks was an active member of the NAACP, serving as its secretary. She also led the youth division of the Montgomery branch of the NAACP. After her arrest, the NAACP joined her appeal, though her case languished in the Alabama court system. Parks was not included as a plaintiff in the Browder v. Gayle decision since her case was still pending in the state court.
In addition to Parks, other NAACP members also played a role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. For example, Johnnie Carr and Irene West sustained the MIA committees and volunteer networks. The NAACP also provided legal support to the five Montgomery women who sued the city in U.S. District Court to have the bus segregation laws invalidated.
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Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA)
The Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) was formed on December 5, 1955, by Black ministers and community leaders in Montgomery, Alabama. The MIA was established to oversee the continuation and maintenance of the boycott, with the broader mission of advancing "the general status of Montgomery, to improve race relations, and to uplift the general tenor of the community".
The MIA's initial leaders included Martin Luther King Jr. as president, L. Roy Bennett as first vice president (later replaced by Ralph D. Abernathy), Moses W. Jones as second vice president, Erna Dungee as financial secretary, U. J. Fields as recording secretary (later replaced by W. J. Powell), E. N. French as corresponding secretary, E. D. Nixon as treasurer, C. W. Lee as assistant treasurer, and A. W. Wilson as parliamentarian.
The MIA's earliest demands included courteous treatment by bus operators, first-come-first-served seating, and the employment of Black bus drivers. To sustain the boycott, the MIA organized carpools and held weekly mass meetings with sermons and music to keep the African American community mobilized. The MIA also negotiated with Montgomery city leaders, coordinated legal challenges to the city's bus segregation ordinance with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and supported the boycott financially by raising money through donations and soliciting support from other civil rights organizations.
The MIA played a crucial role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a successful campaign that brought national attention to racial segregation in the South and propelled Martin Luther King Jr. into the spotlight as a prominent civil rights leader. The boycott lasted for 381 days, from December 5, 1955, to December 20, 1956, and ended with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional.
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Black ministers and leaders
On December 4, 1955, the day before the boycott, Black ministers announced the planned action during Sunday church services. That same day, Black leaders met to form the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), a group dedicated to coordinating the boycott and negotiating with the bus company. They elected Martin Luther King Jr., a young pastor and a newcomer to Montgomery, as their president. King's charisma, powerful oratory skills, and lack of strong friends or enemies made him an ideal choice to unite the African American community.
The MIA's initial demands included courteous treatment by bus operators, first-come, first-served seating with whites and Blacks entering from the front and back respectively, and the hiring of Black bus operators for predominantly Black routes. When these demands were not met, the MIA decided to continue the boycott indefinitely.
Throughout the boycott, Black ministers and leaders played a vital role in mobilizing and sustaining the protest. They organized mass meetings, circulated flyers, and used churches as a base for distributing information and collecting donations. They also provided spiritual and moral leadership, advocating for nonviolent resistance and peaceful protest. King, in particular, emerged as a prominent national leader of the civil rights movement due to his role in the boycott.
The boycott was remarkably successful, with around 90% of Montgomery's African American bus riders participating. It lasted for 381 days and ultimately led to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional. The boycott demonstrated the power of nonviolent mass protest and inspired similar campaigns across the South, marking a significant step towards racial equality in the United States.
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Black taxi drivers
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a pivotal event in the civil rights movement, and Black taxi drivers played a crucial role in its success. The boycott began in December 1955 after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger, sparking her arrest and a mass protest against racial segregation on public transportation.
The contributions of Black taxi drivers were instrumental in ensuring the boycott's effectiveness and longevity. Without their support, many participants would have struggled to find alternative transportation, and the boycott may not have lasted for 381 days. By offering discounted fares, these taxi drivers not only facilitated transportation but also symbolically embraced the cause, demonstrating their commitment to challenging racial segregation.
The boycott ultimately led to a landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in December 1956, declaring that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional. This victory was a testament to the collective efforts of the Black community, including the courageous stand taken by Black taxi drivers in the face of adversity. Their involvement highlighted the power of unity and the ability to create change through nonviolent resistance.
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Frequently asked questions
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. It lasted from December 5, 1955, to December 20, 1956, and was sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat to a white passenger.
The Women's Political Council (WPC), a group of Black women working for civil rights, played a crucial role in the boycott. They had been lobbying the city for improved conditions on the buses for years before the boycott. The Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), a group of local ministers, formed to support and sustain the boycott and the legal challenge to segregation laws. The MIA was led by Martin Luther King Jr., who gained national prominence as a civil rights leader as a result.
The initial demands included courteous treatment by bus operators, first-come, first-served seating with whites and Blacks entering from the front and back respectively, and the hiring of Black bus drivers for predominantly Black routes. As the boycott continued, the goal shifted to fully integrating the buses and ending segregation.
Boycotters organized carpools and volunteer drivers, with some taking station wagons donated by local churches. Black taxi drivers also charged only 10 cents per ride, the same as bus fare, for Black riders. Mass meetings were held to keep the Black community mobilized, and grassroots activist groups helped with fundraising and morale.