How Long Did The Montgomery Bus Boycott Last ?
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The Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted a total of 13 months. It began in December 1955 and ended the following year on 21st December 1956. The success of the bus boycott was even beyond the imagination of the Montgomery Improvement Association and its president, Martin Luther King, Jr.
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On the first day of the boycott, 90 percent of the African Americans took part in it. King did not expect more than 60 percent of people to participate in the boycott. Initially, the boycott was organized just for a single day, but seeing its success, the boycott was extended and it went on for 381 days in total.
While the Montgomery Improvement Association did try to workout a compromise with the city officials, it proved to be futile, and no agreement was reached. This caused an extension of the boycott. However, since majority of African Americans did not have vehicles, a carpooling system was devised. More than 200 cars were used in this system, and majority of them belonged to churches.
All through the boycott, city officials and Montgomery Improvement Association kept holding talks to end the boycott and reach a compromise. However, none of them worked. The bus companies were hit hard by this civil disobedience movement and they were forced to hike the bus fare from 10 cents to 15 cents. The city even tried penalizing African American taxi drivers who charged other African American passengers 10 cents for using their taxis. However, all this did not deter the passion that had ignited in the hearts of the people.
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Rosa Parks was a seamstress and it was her act that led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. On December 1, 1955 when Rosa was returning from work, she refused to give up her bus seat for a White. The rule at that time was that all African Americans had to ride at the back of the bus and when required, they had to give up their seat for White passengers. However, on that particular day, Rosa Parks was tired and when she was asked to give up her seat, she refused.