Taking a Stand: The Montgomery Bus Boycott
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a 42-year-old African American woman who worked as a seamstress, boarded this Montgomery City bus to go home from work. Rosa sat near the middle of the bus, just behind the 10 seats reserved for whites. Soon all of the seats in the bus were filled. When a white man entered the bus, the driver (following the standard practice of segregation) insisted that all four blacks sitting just behind the white section give up their seats so that the man could sit there. Mrs. Parks, who was an active member of the local NAACP, quietly refused to give up her seat.
When Rosa got on the bus that day, she had no plans of making such a bold gesture. Though she was an active member in the Civil Rights movement, she was a quiet person who did the right thing. "When I made that decision," she said later, “I knew that I had the strength of my ancestors with me.”
Rosa Parks was arrested and later convicted of violating the Jim Crow laws.
This event kicked off a boycott of the Montgomery bus system. For an entire year, African Americans did not ride the buses – they walked. Many people, inspired by the movement, offered rides to these brave protesters.
Since African Americans made up about 75 percent of the riders in Montgomery, Alabama, the boycott really hurt the bus companies.
When Rosa got on the bus that day, she had no plans of making such a bold gesture. Though she was an active member in the Civil Rights movement, she was a quiet person who did the right thing. "When I made that decision," she said later, “I knew that I had the strength of my ancestors with me.”
Rosa Parks was arrested and later convicted of violating the Jim Crow laws.
This event kicked off a boycott of the Montgomery bus system. For an entire year, African Americans did not ride the buses – they walked. Many people, inspired by the movement, offered rides to these brave protesters.
Since African Americans made up about 75 percent of the riders in Montgomery, Alabama, the boycott really hurt the bus companies.