how did the Montgomery Bus Boycott start the Modern Civil Rights movement?

Answer 1

Now for an indepth answer from a real historian.

1. Most historians would NOT agree that the Montgomery bus boycott started the modern civil rights movement. Apparently your teacher thinks it did but they are incorrect in thinking this.
2. The Supreme Court case of Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka the year before actually started this movement. But I will respond to the thesis that it began in Alabama.
3. When Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955 for sitting in the middle of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama it opened the door for a massive boycott of Black AND White bus patrons.
4. The organization of that boycott had never been equaled in the past and this is the point I would argue. It was the successful organization of the Southern Baptist ministers and their supporters that helped this become the success it was.
5. Adn important and VITAL point to bring out in any essay dealing with the question is that it was NOT a struggle between Whites and Blacks. A lot of Black civil rights leaders and poorly-read teachers have tried to paint it that way but they are wrong. No respected historian would agree with that faulty premise. The struggle was between RACISTS and NON-RACISTS of ALL colors. Blacks drove car pool cars to help blacks just like whites drove car pool cars to help blacks. The fight was between racist people of all colors and non-racist people of all colors. Don't ever let someone try to convince you that all the black folks were on one side of the argument and all the white folks were on the other side.
5. FInally in 1957 when the boycott ended the non-racist organizers were successful and the city of Montgomery backed down allowing blacks to sit wherever they wanted to on city busses. The first person to sit on a desegregated was Martin Luther King. I was not overly impressed with him when I learned this fact. To me the OBVIOUS choice for the first ride should have been Rosa Parks, the woman that started the whole ball rolling in the first place, but I suppose Martin Luther King wanted the attention and the publicity too much and was not willing to give up his seat for a lady.

And there you have it in a nutshell.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I believe the Montgomery Bus Boycott did provide a key spark for the civil rights movement. I would hesitate to state that any one event would be the most vital. Even the Supreme Court case, Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954), did not result in immediate school desegregation. In reality, most of the integration occurred in 1969 and afterwards. It will be argued here that the unique circumstances of the boycott do make it a landmark event. In 1955 blacks had not previously asserted themselves on such a large-scale basis.For those interested in trivia, there were some persons in other cities who challenged Jim Crow transportation laws before the Montgomery bus boycott. However, none had the significance of the one in Montgomery, which is described below.

In 1955 the Montgomery public buses had strange laws. One was that, in short, the seats were divided into a white section at the front, and a black section in the back. They were roped off with the result, there would be empty seats in the white section, but even if no whites were seated in them, the blacks still could not sit there. If the black section was full, this meant blacks would have to stand, even if seats with no whites around were available. Rosa Parks' refusal to obey this idiotic law started the events that resulted in the bus laws being changed. She helped bring the frustration of African-Americans in the city to the surface. Blacks were also forced to pay at the front, and then re-enter at the black. Sometimes abusive drivers would just leave blacks before they could get back on! Drivers also often insulted African-Americans.

So beneath the surface blacks had a strong desire for decent treatment. I believe Rosa Parks was bailed out of jail by a local black civil rights leader, E.D. Nixon. Nixon has not been given enough credit for his role in the boycott.

Black religious leaders gathered in Montgomery, with supporting crowds, to plan a response. The Montgomery Improvement Association was created to try and change the wrongful bus laws. It is not propaganda, but a fact that Martin Luther King, Jr. was elected president of the MIA. There is no question that he conducted himself in an outstanding manner during this long struggle from 1955 to 1956; it lasted nearly a year. At first, black taxis charging very low fares and car pools made the boycott appear very likely to succeed. However, local whites went to biased white courts and got the taxis and car pools struck down as violations of anti-trust law. Dr. King's house was bombed, and he was unfairly arrested and jailed. Despite all of this pressure he always maintained his composure. He insisted on nonviolence and no retaliations. He may well have prevented some riots.

Despite strongarm tactics peaceful black resistance continued. The Whites actually had made a key error in going to court. When objective federal courts heard the case, they struck down the antitrust rulings against car pooling and taxis, and the rigid segregation of the public buses.

It was a long struggle that America followed carefully. It established Dr. King as an effective civil rights leader. In 1950s America blacks had not been seen as being able to win such a significant victory against the White establishment. It marked a change. It offered hope and produced tangible results. Without Dr. King's steady and peaceful leadership it is easy to see how Montgomery could have become embroiled in rioting and disorder. The bus issue might have been cast aside as the city could have rationalized doing so in protection of the public's interest.

Dr. King never claimed sole credit for what was achieved. But his role was vital. And without his unqiue nonviolent but determined efforts, would the United States be as racially free as it is today?

Answer 3

it is an open ended sort concern that i would not desire to be deceptive in asserting the Sir Bernard Law bus boycott began the renowned civil rights circulate. Theoretically, you may still even bypass decrease back to the founding of the NAACP interior the early 1900s and beginning up the civil rights circulate in its useful criminal annoying circumstances to Jim Crow. yet as I indicated in my different answer my view is the Sir Bernard Law bus boycott may well be a maximum advantageous ingredient; you may still call it the spark. indexed right here are some costs helping this factor by way of respected historians: I. A. Newby, "The South: A history," publicizes concerning the renowned black civil rights circulate: "Their first significant breakthrough got here in Sir Bernard Law, Alabama, the place in 1955-fifty six a boycott of the city bus equipment examined [its] effectiveness...It additionally raised to prominence the main necessary chief the civil rights circulate produced, Martin Luther King." C. Vann Woodward, "The unusual profession of Jim Crow," 3-d. ed.: "Negroes delivered to undergo financial weapons of their very own, maximum exceptionally interior the bus boycott in Sir Bernard Law." Taylor branch, "Parting the Waters: united statesa. interior the King Years, 1954-1963,": "For the 1st time they [Sir Bernard Law progression association, black protesters] have been on the winners area in a white guy's communicate board..." John A. Garraty, "the yank united states": "ultimately, after extra desirable than a 365 days, the ideal court docket ruled the segregation regulation became into unconstitutional. Sir Bernard Law had to desegreate its public transportation equipment. This achievement inspired blacks someplace else interior the South to band at the same time..." i think of there might few activities interior the renowned Civil Rights circulate that would have this solid of an result.

Answer 4

Mainly because it got a young minister, Martin Luther King, involved directly in non-violent actions. King was one of the people who organized the bus boycott.

Answer 5

The Bus Boycott hurt whites where they noticed it, in their pocket books. This gave blacks some leverage to really start the movement.