IB History Topic Dr Martin Luther King Jr Revision Notes (HL)

IB History Topic Dr Martin Luther King Jr Revision Notes (HL) | RevisionDojo

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968)

Background
1. King rose to prominence during the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–56), after Rosa Parks’ arrest sparked a year-long protest.
2. He founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, uniting churches to promote nonviolent resistance against segregation.
3. Inspired by Gandhi’s philosophy, King emphasized civil disobedience, love, and moral courage to confront injustice.
4. Major campaigns:
  1. Birmingham Campaign (1963): mass protests against segregation; images of police brutality shocked the world.
  2. March on Washington (1963): 250,000 participants; King’s “I Have a Dream” speech pushed for federal action.
  3. Selma to Montgomery March (1965): exposed voting discrimination; led to the Voting Rights Act (1965).
5. King later turned to economic inequality and anti-war activism, launching the Poor People’s Campaign (1968) before his assassination.

Case study

Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956)

Background and Causes

In Montgomery, Alabama, segregation laws required Black passengers to sit at the back of public buses and give up their seats to white passengers when buses were full.
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a respected Black seamstress and NAACP member, refused to give up her seat to a white man and was arrested.
Her arrest became the spark for a citywide boycott of Montgomery’s bus system, organized by local civil rights activists.
The newly formed Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., coordinated the protest.

Organization and Course of Events

The boycott began on December 5, 1955, and lasted 381 days, with thousands of African Americans refusing to ride city buses.
Protesters organized carpools, walking groups, and community support systems to sustain the boycott.
Despite intimidation, arrests, and bombings of activists’ homes (including King’s), the movement remained nonviolent and disciplined.
The NAACP and MIA filed a federal lawsuit (Browder v. Gayle) challenging bus segregation as unconstitutional.

Outcome and Impact

In November 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Browder v. Gayle that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional.
The boycott ended in December 1956, marking the first major victory of the modern Civil Rights Movement.
The campaign catapulted Martin Luther King Jr. to national prominence and established nonviolent protest as a key civil rights tactic.
It inspired future actions such as sit-ins, Freedom Rides, and the March on Washington (1963).

Definition

Civil disobedience

The peaceful refusal to obey unjust laws as a form of protest.

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Note

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Tip

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968)

Background
1. King rose to prominence during the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–56), after Rosa Parks’ arrest sparked a year-long protest.
2. He founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, uniting churches to promote nonviolent resistance against segregation.
3. Inspired by Gandhi’s philosophy, King emphasized civil disobedience, love, and moral courage to confront injustice.
4. Major campaigns:
  1. Birmingham Campaign (1963): mass protests against segregation; images of police brutality shocked the world.
  2. March on Washington (1963): 250,000 participants; King’s “I Have a Dream” speech pushed for federal action.
  3. Selma to Montgomery March (1965): exposed voting discrimination; led to the Voting Rights Act (1965).
5. King later turned to economic inequality and anti-war activism, launching the Poor People’s Campaign (1968) before his assassination.

Case study

Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956)

Background and Causes

In Montgomery, Alabama, segregation laws required Black passengers to sit at the back of public buses and give up their seats to white passengers when buses were full.
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a respected Black seamstress and NAACP member, refused to give up her seat to a white man and was arrested.
Her arrest became the spark for a citywide boycott of Montgomery’s bus system, organized by local civil rights activists.
The newly formed Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., coordinated the protest.

Organization and Course of Events

The boycott began on December 5, 1955, and lasted 381 days, with thousands of African Americans refusing to ride city buses.
Protesters organized carpools, walking groups, and community support systems to sustain the boycott.
Despite intimidation, arrests, and bombings of activists’ homes (including King’s), the movement remained nonviolent and disciplined.
The NAACP and MIA filed a federal lawsuit (Browder v. Gayle) challenging bus segregation as unconstitutional.

Outcome and Impact

In November 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Browder v. Gayle that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional.
The boycott ended in December 1956, marking the first major victory of the modern Civil Rights Movement.
The campaign catapulted Martin Luther King Jr. to national prominence and established nonviolent protest as a key civil rights tactic.
It inspired future actions such as sit-ins, Freedom Rides, and the March on Washington (1963).

Definition

Civil disobedience

The peaceful refusal to obey unjust laws as a form of protest.

Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

Paper 1 - The Move to Global War6 subtopics

Paper 1 - Rights and Protest6 subtopics

Paper 1 - Conflict and Intervention6 subtopics

Paper 2 - Independence Movements5 subtopics

Paper 2 - Emergence and Development of Democratic States5 subtopics

Paper 2 - Authoritarian States7 subtopics

Paper 2 - Causes and Effects of 20th Century Wars4 subtopics

Paper 2 - The Cold War: Superpower Tensions and Rivalries4 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of Europe18 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of the Americas18 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of Asia and Oceania18 subtopics

IB History Dr Martin Luther King Jr Notes

Paper 1 - The Move to Global War6 subtopics

Paper 1 - Rights and Protest6 subtopics

Paper 1 - Conflict and Intervention6 subtopics

Paper 2 - Independence Movements5 subtopics

Paper 2 - Emergence and Development of Democratic States5 subtopics

Paper 2 - Authoritarian States7 subtopics

Paper 2 - Causes and Effects of 20th Century Wars4 subtopics

Paper 2 - The Cold War: Superpower Tensions and Rivalries4 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of Europe18 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of the Americas18 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of Asia and Oceania18 subtopics

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968)

Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956)

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968)

Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956)

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

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