Montgomery Bus Boycott 1955
Causes
In December 1955, Rosa Parks was on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
Segregation laws in Montgomery stated that when a bus was full the black passengers must stand and give their seat to a white passenger.
However, Parks refused and was arrested.
Events
Park’s actions sparked a boycott (avoidance) of buses in Montgomery by the African American population.
This affected the income of the bus company, as around 60 to 70 per cent of customers had been African Americans.
Impact
The courts decided that the segregated nature of Montgomery’s buses was unconstitutional and ordered that they be desegregated.
This helped highlight the effectiveness of non-violence.
However, white people-only restaurants and theatres still existed in Montgomery and across all the southern states.
