Rosa Parks

It was an "established rule" in the American south (at that time) that African-American riders had to sit at the back of the bus. African-American riders were also expected to surrender their seat to a white bus rider if it was needed. On December 1, 1955 Parks was asked to move to let a white bus rider be seated and she refused. She did not argue and she did not move. The police were called and Parks was arrested.

Though not the first African-American to be arrested for this, she was the first to be arrested who was well known in the Montgomery African-American community. Once the secretary to the president of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Mrs. Parks action drew national attention and is credited with starting the civil rights movement.

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Montgomery Bus Boycott

When Rosa Parks was arrested, the leaders in the Montgomery black community saw the incident as an opportunity to protest against the city's segregation laws. Presided over by Martin Luther King, Jr., the plan was to stage a large scale boycott against the Montgomery city bus lines. Ninety percent of blacks who previously rode the bus found alternate means of transportation.

The Montgomery bus boycott continued into 1956. Finally, in November of 1956, the US Supreme court declared that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional, and the boycott was brought to an end.

The Montgomery bus Boycott was a very significant event in the civil rights movement which spanned the 1950's and 60's. The boycott was important because it caught the attention of the entire nation. People around the country were made aware of the event because it was launched on such a massive scale and lasted for more than a year. Furthermore, the Montgomery Bus Boycott was important because it set the tone for the whole civil rights movement. In particular, the boycott gave Martin Luther King a position of leadership within the national movement and showed that the nonviolent method of protest was effective.

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