Question

Discuss the impact the Montgomery bus boycott had on American culture.

Answer 1

On December 1, 1955, a woman by the name of Rosa Parks did not give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, as was expected by the man at the time. She was arrested as a result. African Americans had rightly had enough of the segregated and racist policies they faced on public transportation. So, on December 5, 1955, the day of Rosa Park's court hearing, they boycotted the public buses in the city.

As a result of this, about 40,000 African Americans joined the boycott, a form of non-violent mass protest. This made up over 90% of the city's African American population.

The Montgomery Improvement Association, MIA, was formed by black ministers and other community leaders of the city as well. The group's mission was to coordinate and maintain the boycott. The MIA was led by the, at the time, rising star in the civil rights movement, none other than Martin Luther King Jr. himself. Beyond the boycott, the MIA also sought to improve race relations in general.

As a consequence of this, the MIA decided to continue the boycott until the city of Montgomery would meet its demands. The initial demands by this group included:

• To hire black drivers
• To enforce courtesy
• A first-come, first-seated policy

However, the group eventually helped coordinate a legal challenge to the city's bus segregation ordinance in partnership with the NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Now, you'd think that because African Americans made up 3/4ths of the bus ridership in the city, and thus a tremendous source of revenue, that the city would capitulate to the demands of the masses. Not to be. Initially, the city did not want anything to do with the MIA's very reasonable demands.

As a result, African Americans had to find other ways by which to get around the city in order to ensure that the boycott didn't fall apart. Among other organizations and leaders, the MIA helped organize carpools for African Americans, especially the elderly. The African American taxi drivers also joined in. They charged African American riders 10 cents per ride, the same as the bus fare they would've otherwise paid. Other African Americans simply walked where they needed to or rode a bike.

Legal Cases

A Montgomery federal court ruled on June 5, 1956, in Browder v. Gayle, that the segregation ordinance violated the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. Ergo, the segregation was unconstitutional. The city wasn't pleased and appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court didn't budge and upheld the federal court's decision, which went into effect on December 20, 1956. As a result, the buses were integrated the next day, and the 381-day boycott finally ended.