Post by Auset on Feb 17, 2004 22:51:15 GMT -5
On December 1, 1955, forty-three year old Rosa Parks boarded a Montgomery, Alabama city bus after finishing work as a tailor's assistant at the Montgomery Fair department store. As all black patrons were required to do, she paid her fair at the front of the bus, and then re-boarded in the rear. She sat in a vacant seat in the back next to a man and across the aisle from two women. After a few stops, the seats in the front of the bus became full, and a white man who had boarded stood in the aisle. The bus driver asked Parks, the man next to her, and the two women to let the white man have their seats. As the others moved, Parks remained in her seat. The bus driver again asked her to move, and she refused. The driver called the police, and she was arrested. She did not know it at the time, but this courageous act would lead to a 381 day bus boycott and the desegregation of buses throughout the United States.
After Parks arrest, community leaders spread the word that a one day bus boycott was scheduled for December 5. On that cold and cloudy morning, onlookers watched as the buses drove by with few black passengers onboard. The boycott had been a success.
On that afternoon, the leadership met and formed the Montgomery Improvement Association. As their spokesperson, they chose Martin Luther King, Jr., who was an unknown twenty-six year old minister at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. King was scheduled to speak that evening at a mass meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church. After preparing a speech in only a few hours, Dr. King spoke about unity, Christian love, and nonviolence. It was a powerful message that set the tone for the boycott.
Also, at the mass meeting it was decided to continue the boycott. While there was not a call to end segregation on buses, there were three demands. They demanded courteous treatment from drivers, first come first serve seating, and black drivers for black routes.
To help transport boycott participants, a volunteer carpool began on December 13 with 300 vehicles. A transportation center in a downtown parking lot was created. It was used as a central meeting point where after passengers were picked up from various locations, they were brought to this center. From there, all those going to one section of town rode in a car together. The police quickly reacted by arresting drivers and passengers. Passengers waiting for car pools were often arrested for loitering, and drivers received traffic tickets two or three times a week and were even arrested for overloading their cars.
On February 1, 1956, the Montgomery Improvement Association filed suit in the United States District Court challenging the constitutionality of bus segregation. In the same month, Martin Luther King and more than 90 others were arrested for conspiring to conduct a boycott. Dr. King's trail and conviction received nationwide attention, and made him a national figure.
In June of 1956, the U.S. District Court ruled in favor of the Montgomery Improvement Association. The city appealed the decision to the United States Supreme Court. In mid-November, the Supreme Court affirmed the lower courts ruling, and declared that segregation on buses was unconstitutional. Implementation of the Court's decision took place on December 20, 1956.
After Parks arrest, community leaders spread the word that a one day bus boycott was scheduled for December 5. On that cold and cloudy morning, onlookers watched as the buses drove by with few black passengers onboard. The boycott had been a success.
On that afternoon, the leadership met and formed the Montgomery Improvement Association. As their spokesperson, they chose Martin Luther King, Jr., who was an unknown twenty-six year old minister at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. King was scheduled to speak that evening at a mass meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church. After preparing a speech in only a few hours, Dr. King spoke about unity, Christian love, and nonviolence. It was a powerful message that set the tone for the boycott.
Also, at the mass meeting it was decided to continue the boycott. While there was not a call to end segregation on buses, there were three demands. They demanded courteous treatment from drivers, first come first serve seating, and black drivers for black routes.
To help transport boycott participants, a volunteer carpool began on December 13 with 300 vehicles. A transportation center in a downtown parking lot was created. It was used as a central meeting point where after passengers were picked up from various locations, they were brought to this center. From there, all those going to one section of town rode in a car together. The police quickly reacted by arresting drivers and passengers. Passengers waiting for car pools were often arrested for loitering, and drivers received traffic tickets two or three times a week and were even arrested for overloading their cars.
On February 1, 1956, the Montgomery Improvement Association filed suit in the United States District Court challenging the constitutionality of bus segregation. In the same month, Martin Luther King and more than 90 others were arrested for conspiring to conduct a boycott. Dr. King's trail and conviction received nationwide attention, and made him a national figure.
In June of 1956, the U.S. District Court ruled in favor of the Montgomery Improvement Association. The city appealed the decision to the United States Supreme Court. In mid-November, the Supreme Court affirmed the lower courts ruling, and declared that segregation on buses was unconstitutional. Implementation of the Court's decision took place on December 20, 1956.
