An man from India deeply influenced a black man in America who persuaded black Americans to peacefully seek civil rights. Blacks in America were once slaves. They had neither freedom nor rights. Now, in the 20th century, segregation has been abolished and discrimination has largely been reduced and blacks are more able to live freely as American citizens. In Early 1950’s, blacks did not have civil rights, so they had to fight for their freedom. In 1955, blacks decided to rally together for social justice and planned a boycott. This boycott became known as the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This boycott was pivotal in the Civil Right Movement by energizing blacks, particularly in the South, to become more involved in politics. This occurred with the help of Claudette Colvin, Rosa Parks, President Nixon, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and especially with the influence of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. From King’s studies of nonviolence, he guided blacks peacefully through the boycott and taught the boycotters that violence is not the way.
King and Gandhi
There were several factors that caused the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In the 1950’s, black people were protesting for their civil rights, because of the “Plessy vs. Ferguson” case in 1896. In this case, the term “separate but equal” was put into effect. This meant segregation between blacks and whites could happen legally. Due to “Plessy vs. Ferguson” case, the “Jim Crow” laws were firmly cemented by the highest court. These laws called for racial segregation and discrimination throughout the United States, during the late 1800’s through to the 1960’s. These laws were applied to the use of everything such as, bathrooms, wate...
... middle of paper ...
.../montbus.html.
History.com Staff. “Montgomery Bus Boycott.” History.com. 2010. Accessed April 24, 2014.http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/montgomery-bus-boycott.
Martin Luther King Jr., The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Vol. 3: Birth of a New Age, December 1955-December 1956 (n.p.: University of California Press, 1997).
Meier, August, and Elliot Rudwick. Black Protest in the Sixties. New York City: New York Times Company, 1970.
Sanford Wexler and Julian Bond, The Civil Rights Movement: An Eyewitness History (New York: Facts On File, 1993).
Theoharis, Jeanne, and Theoharis, Athan. These yet to Be United States: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in America Since 1945. Stamford, Connecticut: Wadsworth, Thomson Learning Inc., 2003.
Wolfgang Mieder, “Making a Way Out of No Way”: Martin Luther King's Sermonic Proverbial Rhetoric (New York: Peter Lang, 2010).
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born at noon on January 15, 1929 in Memphis, Tennessee to the Reverend Martin Luther King and Alberta Williams King. Martin Luther King Jr. spent the first twelve years in the Auburn Avenue home that his parents shared with his maternal grandparents, the Reverend Adam Daniel Williams and Jennie Celeste Williams. When Reverend Williams passed away in 1931, Martin Luther King Sr. became the new pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church and established himself as a major figure in both state and national Baptist groups. Martin Luther King Jr. later attended Atlanta’s Morehouse College from 1944 to 1948 during his undergraduate years. During this time, Morehouse College President Benjamin E. Mays had convinced Martin Luther King Jr. to accept his calling and to view Christianity as a “potential force for progressive social change. Martin Luther King Jr. was ordained during his last semester in Morehouse.” It was also around this time that Martin Luther King Jr. had begun his first steps towards political activism. In 1951, King Jr. began his doctoral studies in systematic theology at Boston University’s School of Theology. In 1953, Martin Luther King Jr. married Coretta Scott on June 18 in a ceremony that took place i...
Lischer, Richard The Preacher King: Martin Luther King Jr. and the word that moved America Oxford University Press: 1995. Print
In late 1955, Dr. King was elected to lead his first public peaceful protest. For the rest of the year and throughout all of 1956, African Americans decided to boycott the Montgomery bus system in response to the arrest of Rosa Parks. After 382 days of protest, the city of Montgomery was forced to lift the law mandating segregated public transportation because of the large financial losses they suffered from the protest. King began to receive notice on a national level in 1960. On October ...
Bainton, Roland H. Here I Stand: A life of Martin Luther. New York. Abington Printing Press. 1950
Walton, Hanes Jr,. The Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Greenwood Press, 1971.
Walton, Hanes Jr. The Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr. New York: Greenwood Press, 1971
(3) Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955): After the supreme court decided to end segregation, African Americans started to speak out more about their racial opinions. In Montgomery, Alabama, a bus boycott ended with a victory for the African Americans. The Supreme Court ruled that the Alabama segregation laws were unconstitutional. During the boycott a young African American Baptist minister, Martin Luther King, Jr. became well known. Throughout the long contest he advised African Americans to avoid violence no matter had badly provoked by whites. Rosa Parks tired of sitting in the back of the bus, and giving up her seat to white men. One weary day she refused to move from the front of the bus, and she became one of history's heroes in the Civil Rights Act movement.
Weisbrot, Robert. Freedom Bound: A History Of America’s Civil Rights Movement. New York: Plume, 1991
Civil rights movement had been started before the Montgomery Bus Boycott, however, it picked after Rosa Parks arrest and became a significant event in the history of America. The boycott was developed mainly by Dr. Martin Luther King and led to success after several months. Hence, the movement strengthened and gained respect and attention. African-American continued struggling in compliance with Dr. King`s non-violent demonstrations and protests. They continued demanding their rights with the weapon of peace and love. Dr. King was not only leader of the movement, but also he was its voice and he formed and identified the movement ideally. After Dr. King`s death, the country lost a great leader who had struggled throughout his life to make the world better place. The loss of Dr. King was not only sorrowful for the African-Americans, but it was for all human races. He was the voice of justice, equality and brotherhood among people. The legacy of the civil rights movement was the major changes in the U.S. law and justice system. Eventually, the black people achieved their citizenship rights as equal as the white people. As a consequence, Barack Obama became the first African-American president in the history of the United States. After all, we do not have to forget that every person has the power to change the world. If we want to change something in the world, we have to be the cause of the
Williams, Juan. Eye on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965. New York: Viking Penguin Inc., 1987.
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King is able to effectively argue against criticisms through the use of passionate and calm tones, vivid metaphors, and biblical and historical allusions. King uses numerous biblical allusions to resonate with his clergymen audience and to make them realize that they were condemning a righteous movement. The vivid language in metaphors captures emotion and expands understanding. Mr. King was able to do anything to end the injustice in Birmingham and his commitment was shown in his tone.
Garrow, David J. Protest at Selma: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. New York: New Haven and London Yale University Press. 1978
Blacks walked miles to work, organized carpools, and despite efforts from the police to discourage this new spark of independence, the boycotts continued for more than a year until in November 1956 the Supreme Court ruled that the Montgomery bus company must desegregate it's busses. Were it not for the leadership of Rosa Parks and Jo Ann Robinson, and the support the black community through church congregations, these events may have not happened for many years to come.
...ivil rights in America, galvanized by the landmark Brown vs. Board of Educa2tion of Topeka decision of 1954.” The Montgomery bus boycott happened on “December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks... who refused to give up her sear to a white passenger on a bus” she was arrested. Later, the Supreme Court ruled “segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956.”