1955–1956Reputable sourceWell documented
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
On the timeline · around 1955–1956 ·
What happened
On 1 December 1955 Rosa Parks, a seamstress and NAACP member, was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. Black residents responded with a boycott of the city buses that lasted over a year, led by a young minister named Martin Luther King Jr. It ended when the Supreme Court ruled bus segregation unconstitutional.
Why it matters
The successful boycott demonstrated the power of mass nonviolent protest and thrust Martin Luther King Jr. into national leadership.
Sources
- National Park Service. The Montgomery Bus Boycott · Reputable source