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The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the district court's decision in Browder v. Gayle, declaring bus segregation laws unconstitutional. -
Rosa Parks joins the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP and becomes actively involved in civil rights work, helping investigate cases of racial injustice. -
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education declares state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional, energizing the civil rights movement. -
Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old African American girl, is arrested in Montgomery for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus. Local activists, including Rosa Parks, consider using her case to challenge bus segregation but decide against it due to her age and circumstances. -
Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus. Her arrest galvanizes local activists. -
E.D. Nixon, president of the local NAACP chapter, and Jo Ann Robinson of the Women's Political Council (WPC) begin organizing a boycott of the Montgomery bus system. Robinson prints and distributes thousands of flyers calling for a one-day bus boycott on December 5. -
The one-day bus boycott is successful, leading to the formation of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) to coordinate the ongoing boycott. Martin Luther King Jr., a young pastor at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, is elected as president of the MIA. -
MIA leaders, including King, meet with city officials and bus company representatives to discuss demands for more courteous treatment, first-come, first-served seating, and the hiring of black bus drivers. The city and bus company refuse these demands. -
Boycott leaders are harassed and threatened, with King’s home bombed on January 30. Despite the violence, the boycott continues with widespread community support. -
More than 80 boycott leaders are indicted under an old anti-boycott law, bringing national attention to the movement. King is among those arrested, further increasing his prominence as a civil rights leader. -
The federal district court rules in Browder v. Gayle that bus segregation is unconstitutional, citing the Brown v. Board of Education decision. -
The Montgomery Bus Boycott officially ends after 381 days, as the Supreme Court’s ruling takes effect and buses in Montgomery are desegregated.