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Colvin's Attempt to Fight Segregation in Court
Claudette Colvin set the framework of what would lead to the Montgomery Bus Boycott by trying to get a lawyer to fight segregation in court. Colvin's lawyer, Fred Gray, was prepared to file a civil rights lawsuit to contest segregation on buses in Montgomery but after discussions with the local African-American community, he decided to wait (Radio Diaries, 2015). -
Claudette Colvin
Before the Montgomery Bus Boycott and even before the iconic Rosa Parks, there was another African-American who refused to give up their seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. On March 2, 1955, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery, Alabama bus (History.com Editors, 2023). -
Rosa Parks Refuses to Give Up Her Seat
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white man and was arrested. Unlike Claudette Colvin who had a troubling history, civil rights activists viewed Rosa Parks as "a courageous black person of unquestioned honesty and integrity" (History.com, 2009) and would become the figure of the Montgomery Bus Boycott to desegregate buses. -
The Start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
About 40,000 African American bus riders boycotted the Montgomery bus system and refused to ride to ride the buses. (History.com Editors, 2010). The Montgomery Improvement Association, which helped organize the boycott, elected Martin Luther King Jr. as its president. -
Browder v. Gayle
In Browder v. Gayle, a U.S. District Court ruled that segregation in buses were unconstitutional but the city of Montgomery appealed the decision and continued to segregate public transportation. -
Supreme Court Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed Browder v. Gayle and ruled that segregation in busing was unconstitutional. -
The End of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery bus system was fully integrated and the Montgomery Bus Boycott ended in a successful victory. -
References
History.com Editors. (2023, January 24). Fifteen-Year-Old Claudette Colvin Refuses to Give Up Her Seat on a Segregated Bus. History.com. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/claudette-colvin-refuses-to-give-up-her-seat -
References
History.com Editors. (2010, February 3). Montgomery Bus Boycott. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/montgomery-bus-boycott -
References
History.com Editors. (2009, November 9). Rosa Parks. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/rosa-parks -
References
Radio Diaries. (2015, March 2). Before Rosa Parks, a Teenager Defied Segregation on an Alabama bus. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/02/27/389563788/before-rosa-parks-a-teenager-defied-segregation-on-an-alabama-bus