Montgomery Bus Boycott And Rosa Parks
|
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.
|
This led to Rosa Parks being arrested. This was not the first time an African American was being arrested for this act. Earlier in the year a 15-year old girl was arrested for the same act. However, because Rosa Parks was well-known member of the community and she was also a member of the NAACP, her arrest came to the notice of the people. This led to the local chapter of the NAACP coming together and deciding that there was a need to protest the arrest as well as the discrimination that the African Americans faced while traveling in buses.
Initially, the bus boycott was meant to be just for one day, but seeing the success of the boycott, the organizers decided to continue with it. As a result, the Montgomery Bus Boycott went on for a total of 381 days before coming to an end. During the boycott, segregation case was brought to the notice of the court. The lower court declared that segregation in Montgomery was unlawful and ordered full integration. The same verdict was given by the US Supreme Court. It was this verdict that led to the end of the boycott, but not before the city faced financial losses.
More Articles :
|
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was one of the first victories in the Civil Rights Movement in the country. This boycott also saw the rise of a young reverend named Martin Luther King, Jr. and made him into a household name. Here is a timeline of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the foundation for which was laid long before the arrest of Rosa Parks.