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The desegregation of transportation systems in the South began at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 1, Seamstress Rosa Parks changed America forever when she was arrested for refusing to yield her seat to a white patron on a Montgomery, Alabama city bus.
Even though Rosa Parks was found guilty of disorderly conduct, the bus boycott was 90% successful.
The community decided to continue the boycott until the following demands were met: 1) African American passengers would be treated with courtesy. 2) African American drivers would be assigned to primarily black routes. 3) Seating would be on a first-comed, first-served basis.
Dr. King began making speeches in support of the boycott.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a district court ruling that made segregation on public transportation unconstitutional.
The success of the Montgomery bus boycott thrust Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., into the spotlight. 3 rd Generation Minister Lived in Atlanta Attended Morehouse College and Received Doctorate from Boston University Wife – Coretta Scott King
Developed a nonviolent approach to social change. Based his ideas on the writings of David Thoreau and the teachings of India’s leader, Mahatma Gandhi. Approach to Gaining Civil Rights 1Direct, Nonviolent Actions 2Legal Remedies 3Ballots 4Economic Boycotts
Traveled two or three thousand miles a week spreading his message of nonviolence. Head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
King held lunch counter sit-ins to protest the segregated lunch counters of department and chain stores in the South.
In 1961, in Albany, Georgia… --Mainly farming community --40% African American --Schools were segregated --Only a small number of African Americans were allowed to vote
NAACP and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) decided to test the ruling by sitting in the “whites only” waiting room at the city’s bus station.
The protesters were quickly arrested.
Black and white “freedom riders” arrived in Albany to support the Albany Movement. They were arrested at the Central Railway Terminal.
The next day, SNCC led a march of African American high school students to the same train station. The students were arrested and jailed while members of the national press watched.
At one point during the months of protest in Albany, 500 people were either in jail or out on bond. Civil rights leaders arrested included Dr. King and Reverend Ralph Abernathy, who had traveled to Albany to ask city officials for a meeting to resolve the resolve the dispute.
In April 1963, Dr. King began a campaign in Birmingham, Alabama to end discrimination in all areas of that city’s public life. For several nights, television news showed police attempts to control demonstrators with attack dogs and high pressure hoses. Over 3,000 people, including Dr. King, were arrested.
Influential letter in which Dr. King explained the civil rights movement to his many critics. The letter was published and circulated throughout the country.
In June 1963, President John F. Kennedy went on national television and described segregation as a moral crisis for the country.
In August of1963, over 250,000 people converge on Washington. Speakers demand the immediate passage of the civil rights bill. King delivers his “I have a Dream” speech.
“I have a dream…” Martin Luther King, Jr.
On September 15, 1963, during Sunday School at Birmingham’s 16 th Street Baptist Church, a bomb killed 4 black children and injured 14 others. Even though a riot broke out, blacks and whites joined together to stop further violence.
Kennedy was assassinated and did not live to see the Civil Rights Act of 1964 put into law. But, the new President Lyndon B. Johnson vowed to continue fighting.
Most far-reaching and important civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. Made segregation of all public facilities illegal. Includes restaurants, theaters, hotels, public recreational areas, schools, and libraries. Prohibited discrimination in business and labor unions.