The Rosa Parks Inspired Bus Boycotts of the 1950s

By Casetopher

  • Cause of the Boycotts

    Rosa Parks, who was a 42-year-old African American woman, refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white man, in violation of the city's racial segregation laws. This resulted in Rosa Parks being arrested.

  • The formation of the MIA

    The Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) was formed, with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as its leader, to organize a bus boycott in response to Parks' arrest.

  • The Beginning of the Boycotts

    The boycott officially began, with African Americans refusing to ride Montgomery's buses. Many chose to walk, carpool, or use African American-operated taxi services instead.

  • Montgomery's Defiance

    Montgomery's city officials and bus company executives sued the MIA and several boycott leaders for damages resulting from the boycott such as loss of income etc.

  • The Court's Decision

    A federal court ruled that Montgomery's bus segregation laws were unconstitutional.

  • The Supreme Court's Decision

    The Supreme Court upheld the federal court's ruling, ordering Montgomery to integrate its bus system.

  • Equality in the matter

    The boycott officially ended, more than a year after it began, after Montgomery's buses were integrated and the city's segregation laws were struck down.