Montgomery City Bus Boycott

With serious planning and mental preparation, the black community of Montgomery County in Alabama set a plan in motion in response to the abuse and disrespect they have suffered on the City Bus line. On December 5, 1955, all black men and women would refuse to partake in riding the City Bus in defiance to the way the bus system treated blacks. The boycott would for an approximated two weeks until legislative action was taken that enforced more equal treatment on how the bus system treated blacks. While a lot of the black community viewed this as a major victory on the road toward equality, others viewed the bus boycott as a minor stepping stone, but that there was much to be done in order for equality to be reached. The Montgomery Bus Boycott

These two tactics would allow people to ride to work or school and back with the same effectiveness of riding the bus. With this, the associations could maintain the boycott and the jobs of those who partake in the resistance from riding the Bus. The carpoolers were provided with transportation costs such as gas and repairs covered by the MIA to continue the boycott in full effect. Cab drivers would charge reduced fares by being given the balance by the MIA to carry black students or workers to and from their school or workplace. These tactics proved effective in keeping the boycott alive, and put the pressure on the Bus Company because this lead to less and less people riding the bus and bringing the revenue from the buses down to abysmal lows. For now, Martin Luther King Jr. was elected president of the MIA and would lead the pressure toward legislation to accept the goals pointed out by the organization, and during the negotiations with the city council, King states that they were not interested in changes of segregation, but for greater justice and better treatment on the buses. All the goals and tactics came together with the leadership of King to bring the long awaited change that left schism in the actual amplitude of the

In the end, the court ruled in favor of the boycotters and the boycott ended on December 20, 1956. This was where the schism began, with many saying that the bus boycott only lead to having “a great deal to do” toward true equality. Bus integration was only one part of segregation, but other businesses were still segregated and having the ruling in buses would not change that. With this said, the end result was also not as clean cut as it may seem, with many blacks losing too many jobs and having their spirits nearly broken to the point of exhaustion to only have one aspect of life change is a great deal, but not enough. On the other hand, the momentum of changing bus regulation did bring about the idea that change is possible with enough coordination and dedication, and equality is achievable. A great sense of accomplishment is what was needed to push for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the Voting Rights Act of 1965 would come in the following years after the Montgomery Bus