Date: started December 1st, 1955, finished December 20th 1956
Location: Montgomery, Alabama
Leaders: Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr.
Location: Montgomery, Alabama
Leaders: Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr.
The Montgomery bus riot started when Rosa Parks refused to give away her seat to another white passenger. There were several precedents before Rosa Parks, but the leaders of African-American society in Montgomery decided those precedents unsuitable for the start of a sacred quest for liberty. Nine months before Rosa Parks' arrest, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin was arrested in Montgomery for the same act. The city's black leaders prepared to protest, until it was discovered Colvin was pregnant and deemed an inappropriate symbol for their cause. ("Montgomery Bus Boycott." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014. <http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/montgomery-bus-boycott>. Lines 25-30) Being a secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Rosa Parks was a perfect case for the protest.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the young reverend that was asked to lead the bus boycott. He set the tone of non-violent resistance. He rejected hate and violence, and embraced self-respect and love. He inspired the African-American people to fight for their freedom in a way that didn't destroy the dignity and was carried out with justice and peace. The people of Montgomery were strong and determined to boycott the buses. Dr. King efficiently integrated their spirits with his contagious enthusiasm, allowing them to stand together. Under King’s leadership, the Montgomery riot started a revolution that would change the history.