Montgomery Bus Boycott Flashcards
1
Q
When was the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
A
December 1955 - December 1956
2
Q
What happened in the Boycott? (1)
A
- December 1955 – Rosa Parks arrested
- December – Bus company refused to change policies
- December – car pools begin
- January 1956 – MLK’s house bombed
- February – NAACP begin Browder v Gayle case
- February - MIA members arrested
3
Q
What happened in the Boycott? (2)
A
- March – MIA member put on trial
- May – Browder v Gayle comes to court
- June – S Court orders that buses should be desegregated
- November – bus company appeal rejected
- December – 2nd appeal rejected
- December – boycott lifted, integrated buses begin on 21st December
4
Q
Why was MLK so influential?
A
- He was well educated which allowed him to strategise the campaign and establish clear goals
- His non violent approach earned sympathy and support
- His passionate speeches were inspiring and motivational which helped gain support
- He was supported by both blacks and whites
- His Christian virtues presented him as a good role model and an inspiration
5
Q
Leadership in the Boycott:
A
- Jo Ann Robinson - president of WPC, organised boycott
- E.D Nixon - NAACP member, helped set up the boycott
- Ralph David Abernathy - clergyman who took over the MIA after MLK left Montgomery
6
Q
How was the Boycott successful?
A
- Buses were desegregated
- Drew attention to MLK
- Highlighted the power of non violent approaches
- Symbolic victory in legal terms
7
Q
How was the Boycott unsuccessful?
A
- MIA leaders were attacked
- Heavy white backlash
- No further desegregation happened in Montgomery
- Bus stops remained segregated
8
Q
What was the importance of the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
A
- It showed black people could organise mass resistance and that civil rights campaigns could attract widespread support
- It brought MLK into the spotlight
- It showed the importance of publicity in the fight for civil rights.
9
Q
What were the consequences of the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
A
- Buses were desegregated but bus stops were not
- The 1957 Civil Rights Act was introduced which called for federal intervention over voting rights violation in states.
