December 5, 1955 - Start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a famous social protest that opposed racial segregation. The boycott started on December 5, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama sparked by Rosa Parks’ famous bus stand, not giving her seat up on a segregated bus to a white man. The Rosa Parks incident occurred on December 1, 1955 and raised a lot of conflict in the city for the next few days. On December 5th the African-American residents of Montgomery, led by Martin Luther King Jr., made it known that they would not be riding the buses until they were made desegregated. This boycott was the first of many attempts to abolish segregation throughout the nation.

The south had historically been known for African-American discrimination, lynchings, and violence, occurring there since the end of the Civil War. Therefore, for the Civil Rights Movement to make a big step in America in the 1950s and 60s, a large, public “statement” would have to be made somewhere in a heavily segregated region. A handful of arrests had been made earlier that year with African Americans not abiding by the bus law, but none were as powerful as Rosa Parks’. After her arrest, the African Americans’ decision to not use the city’s public transportation system sparked an everlasting effect. Martin Luther King Jr., who became a popular leader through this event, with other local leaders, originally believed only half of the African-American city population would support the boycott; however, they were shocked when over 90% boycotted the bus system [1]. Alternative options were developed as African Americans carpooled, rode bikes, or simply walked [1]. This caused the city’s bus system to lose thousands of dollars in revenue and almost go out of business [2]. This boycott also spread nationally, as television was becoming a popular household item and people around the country could hear about the boycott. Other southern cities followed as they took on boycotts of their own.

Martin Luther King Jr., among others, preached that this boycott should remain non-violent, and it did. However white southerners brought violence, as they wanted to prevent African-Americans from gaining equal rights. King’s house was bombed as well as four black churches in the months that followed the boycott [2]. City officials sought to jail the leaders of the boycott as a statement to the government’s resilience, and jailed King, however the boycott continued. Montgomery’s African-American residents stood behind their leaders.

After a Supreme Court decision, African-Americans could
board at the front of the bus for the first time.

Continuing through December of 1956, the Montgomery Bus Boycott had a lasting effect on America and the Civil Rights Movement. The Supreme Court desegregated public transportation on November 15, 1956, as this issue was put to rest legally [1]. Also, locally the court case Browder v. Gayle declared the Alabama state bus segregation laws unconstitutional. During the boycott, Martin Luther King Jr. stepped in as a famous figurehead for the movement. Following the event King said “We came to see that, in the long run, it is more honorable to walk in dignity than ride in humiliation. So … we decided to substitute tired feet for tired souls, and walk the streets of Montgomery.”


- Ryan R. and Percell D.



[1] “Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956)” Martin Luther King Jr. and The Global Freedom Struggle. Accessed 28 November, 2013, http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_montgomery_bus_boycott_1955_1956/
[2] “54b. Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott” U.S. History, A New Civil Rights Movement. Accessed 28 November, 2013, http://www.ushistory.org/us/54b.asp
[3] “Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott” Wesleyan University. Accessed 27 November, 2013, http://www.wesleyan.edu/mlk/posters/rosaparks.html