Montgomery Bus Boycott

1954- 1957

• 1954 - Brown Vs. Board of Ed.• 1955 – Emmett Till’s murder• (Dec.) 1955 - Rosa Parks refuses to give up her

seat (local law).– “The seamstress with tired feet”

• 1957 – Little Rock 9

Rosa Parks - A Veteran of Protests

• 1930s - Parks protests the Scottsboro boys– Parks protests their conviction• 9 African-American boys accused of rape on a train• All white jury, all white audience, 1 day trial

• 1940s – Attempts to register to vote twice but “failed” the literacy test twice.– Eventually registers to vote after more attempts

The Boycott• Parks arrested for refusing to give up her seat

• Hundreds of blacks gathered in a church in response– Agree to refuse to ride the bus until equal treatment• Maids, janitors, teachers, students (and more) participate

– Find alternatives such as walking and carpooling– Supreme Court in 1956 rules segregation in public

transportation illegal

Growth of the Civil Rights Movement

• Montgomery Bus Boycott– Major turning point– Launches the movement for racial justice as a

nonviolent crusade• Based out of black churches

Growth of the Civil Rights Movement

• Rise of Martin Luther King Jr. – Symbol of the Civil Rights movement