Changing patterns and approaches, 1955-68 - WHAT WAS THE IMPACT OF BLACK AMERICANS' FIGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, C1955-80?

what issue were civil rights campaigners very aware of from 1955?

of putang the in les in the public eye and choosing their causes, and the people involved in them, very carefully, In 1935. a piece of local action in Montgomery, Alabama suddenly became big news, because the medias Imagination was caught by the combination of a stubborn city government, a charismatic leader and a determined black population.

were protests in montgomery usual?

Campaigners had challenged the segregation of buses in Montgomery at regular intervals since a boycott in 1900.

what were the segregation rules on public transport?

Black passengers had to sit at the back of the bus, standing if their allocated seats were full, even if there were empty seats in the whites-only part of the bus. They had to give up any seat on their part of the bus to a white person.

WPC 1954

In 1954, the Women's Political Council (WPC) in Montgomery warned the mayor that several local organisations, including the NAACP, were considering a bus boycott.

how did the WPC chose their case?

carefully. Two women were arrested for refusing to give up their seats in 1955, but were rejected by the NAACP because of the use the opposition might make of their circumstances: Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl arrested in March, was unmarried and pregnant; Mary Louise Smith, an 18-year-old woman arrested in October, came from a poor family and her father had a drink problem. Many black people in Montgomery felt that their cases should be taken up, however.

December 1 1954?

Rosa Parks, a respectable, dignified 42-year-old woman and NAACP member, was arrested for sitting at the front of the bus. The NAACP's lawyer took her case.

December 2 1954

the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) was formed to organise the boycott.

what was chosen as the leader for the boycott?

A newly appointed Baptist minister, Martin Luther King Jr. He was the right man in the right place at the right time. The MIA leafleted and held meetings to publicise the arrest and the boycott.

what did the MIA organise to assist those participating in the boycott?

taxis and other transport to get people to work if they couldn't walk in.

when did the boycott begin?

The boycott began on 5 December. Over 75 percent of bus users were black and 90 percent of them stayed away from the buses.

how long did the boycott last?

380 days.

what was King careful to do?

follow the rules of non-violent protest and to keep the media informed about events.

what happened as the boycott carried on?

Media interest grew. The city government penalised taxi drivers for taking fares; the MIA organised car pools. The homes of King and the NAACP leader E.D. Nixon were fire-bombed; they begged protesters to stay calm and not riot. The city government imprisoned King and several others for conspiracy to boycott; the boycott carried on. Some of the boycotters lost their jobs; they carried on. By this point, the boycott had a huge amount of publicity. The Supreme Court had to act.

13 November 1956

the Supreme Court ruled bus segregation unconstitutional. On 21 December, over a year alter the boycott started, black people began riding the buses again - desegregated buses. The boycott had worked.

what was the negative impact of the boycott?

the long fight had hardened the racial divide. In the next local elections white candidates who favoured segregation were elected. Just three days after the buses were desegregated King's home was firebombed and snipers shot at black passengers sitting in white seats (at least one, a pregnant women, was wounded in both legs). Black people went on riding. It took several years for the violence against the bus desegregation to calm down.

what did MLKJR become the face of?

black American civil rights.

why did some people feel that MLKJR becoming the face of black american civil rights unfair?

He worked hard, but so did many other civil rights leaders. He spoke well, but so did many of them. Somehow, he got the media attention and they didn't, and the more attention he got, the more prominent he became. He was very media-conscious.

what did MLKJR set up in 1957?

the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). King refined the nonviolent protest rules with an eye to creating the best possible impression in the media

what were the refined rules of MLKJR?

It must always be clear who is the oppressor, who the oppressed; never give the media the image of a violent black American, it harms the cause. Getting arrested, as publicly as possible, and going peaceably, is good publicity. King was arrested many times, and wrote articles and gave interviews from jail about the civil rights cause. Before a protest, campaigners were taught how to go limp if the police tried to move them from a sit-in. Accept as many white people as you can on your protests. King was happy to meet with white officials who might help the civil rights cause, even though some black people criticised this.