Sample Answer for Montgomery Bus Boycott 1956

Essay Plan

INTRODUCTION:

• Significance of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
• Jim Crow Laws and Segregation
• Population Growth and Minority Poverty

BODY PARAGRAPHS:

1. Disenfranchisement of Black Americans and Early Civil Rights Efforts
2. Montgomery, Alabama as the Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement
3. Rosa Parks' Arrest and the Start of the Boycott
4. E.D. Nixon and the NAACP's Legal Strategy
5. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Organisation of the Boycott
6. Violent Backlash and Media Coverage
7. Supreme Court Ruling and End of Bus Segregation
8. Non-violent Success and Continued Civil Rights Efforts
9. School Desegregation and Federal Support
10. Legacy of the Boycott and Ongoing Civil Rights Struggles

CONCLUSION:

• Success of the Boycott in Ending Bus Segregation
• Broader Impact on the Civil Rights Movement
• Long-term Progress Leading to Historic Milestones

Sample Essay

The Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1956 was significant for US race relations. The Jim Crow laws imposed segregation in public places like buses and schools, despite the US Constitution stating "all men are created equal" and slavery being abolished in 1865. Due to the baby boom, the population increased significantly, and about 40 million Americans lived in poverty, primarily minorities.

Black people could not vote and had high illiteracy rates. The boycott was one of the first events that challenged segregation during the Civil Rights Movement. The US Armed Forces were the first to be desegregated by President Truman, as returning black soldiers did not want to be second-class citizens. Due to a rise in liberalism and the USA representing the 'free world,' their treatment of black citizens had to change. The influence of TV and media, along with black churches and leaders preaching hope, spread awareness of the Civil Rights Movement. The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) and other organisations helped to organise the movement further.

Montgomery, Alabama, was the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement. 70,000 white people and 50,000 black people lived there, and it was heavily segregated, with black people working mostly in low-paid, unskilled jobs. The Alabama Bus Company employed only white drivers, and the buses were segregated. Rosa Parks, a seamstress, refused to give up her seat and was arrested; she was a member of the NAACP. The Southern states tended to be more segregated and racist due to the Confederate history. Rosa Parks' defiance set the tone for more peaceful protests in the future.

E.D. Nixon, the leader of the NAACP, asked Rosa Parks if they could take her case to court to test whether the city law on bus segregation violated the US Constitution; she agreed. Parks was chosen as she was married, 'morally clean,' and had a 'good academic standing.' Jo Ann Robinson, the leader of the Women's Political Council of Montgomery, asked all black people to boycott the buses on the day of Parks' trial. The word spread through leaflets and church ministers. Martin Luther King Jr., president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, directed the boycott.

King organised a massive meeting of black people in Montgomery, asking them not to use the buses and encouraging peace by saying, "Let no man pull you so low as to make you hate him." Parks was found guilty during the trial and fined $10 (around$115 today), and the case was appealed. The MIA continued the boycott, which was a huge success. They demanded that black people be employed as drivers, that drivers be polite to passengers, and a 'first come, first served' policy. The non-violent protest hurt the bus company, as 75% of its customers were black. People carpooled and got insurance from Lloyds of London for restricted transport.

In response, the racist white supremacy group KKK damaged cars with acid, and black homes and churches were attacked and bombed. Police disrupted carpooling, and old laws against boycotting were invoked. The bus boycott lasted 381 days, attracting national and international media coverage and attention. Kennedy spoke to US citizens regarding the movement, saying, "This is not a war between the white and the Negro, but a conflict of justice and injustice." The Civil Rights Movement grew in popularity thanks to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Parks' case was appealed to the Supreme Court, and on November 13th, 1956, it was ruled that the city laws violated the Constitution and that bus segregation must end by December 20th. The city bus company accepted this, and King ended the boycott. On December 21st, King, Parks, and other black leaders boarded a bus and sat at the front. Violence broke out temporarily, but it subsided. King was the accepted leader of the black civil rights movement and spent the rest of his life dedicated to the cause. The boycott was successful in ending segregation on buses in Montgomery.

The boycott also showed that non-violent, well-organised movements produced results. King founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957 to further the civil rights movement. The increased media coverage made white people realise what was happening. The boycott was successful because of the Supreme Court's decision, but discrimination and other Jim Crow laws persisted. Parks lost her job and moved to Detroit, earning the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Montgomery Bus Boycott created solidarity and peaceful protests within the black community.

As a follow-up, the US Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of schools in 1954, and Eisenhower demanded that the ruling be implemented. In an incident where black students were not let into an all-white school, Eisenhower sent federal troops to back them up. By 1969, 20% of black children attended school with white children. Despite the media coverage and increased white supporters, police often sided with the extremist opposition, and the KKK continued their attacks. The bus boycott inspired further strides in the civil rights movement and societal desegregation.

President Kennedy increased his commitment to civil rights by pushing the Civil Rights Bill into Congress. A peaceful demonstration of 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in DC, where King made his 'I Have a Dream' speech. Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, making it illegal to discriminate in public places. The Voting Rights Bill of 1965, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, and the Selma to Montgomery March and Freedom Riders, all inspired by the bus boycott, contributed to furthering civil rights.

After King's assassination in 1968, extreme leaders emerged along with riots across the US. These leaders were willing to use violence to speed up integration and end poverty and unemployment. Malcolm X, leader of the radical black Muslim group Nation of Islam, inspired pride in African Americans. The Black Panthers were also willing to use violence. However, the majority of black people did not resort to violence, and many went to universities. More black representatives entered Congress (mostly Democrats), and in 1984, a black minister, Rev. Jesse Jackson, ran for president, showing the progress since the Montgomery bus boycott.

Overall, the Montgomery bus boycott was successful due to the firm and peaceful community that backed it. It only ended segregation on buses but paved the way for desegregation over the following decades. While the black community still faced further social issues such as urban poverty, drugs, and crime, progress has been made since the 1950s. In 2008, Obama was elected as the first black president of the United States, a genuinely unthinkable event 50 years earlier. The Montgomery bus boycott proved that success was possible through peaceful and diplomatic means.