IB History Topic Montgomery Bus Boycott Revision Notes (SL/HL)

IB History Topic Montgomery Bus Boycott Revision Notes (SL/HL) | RevisionDojo

The Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956)

Background and Spark

The boycott was a year-long protest in Montgomery, Alabama, against bus segregation.
It began on December 1, 1955, after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger.
Parks was a long-time NAACP activist, trained in nonviolent resistance, and was chosen deliberately as a strong test case.
Her arrest followed earlier acts of resistance by Claudette Colvin, Aurelia Browder, and Mary Louise Smith.
The Women’s Political Council, led by Jo Ann Robinson, quickly organized a one-day boycott that expanded into a mass campaign.
Earlier precedents shaped the movement. Irene Morgan v. Virginia (1946) outlawed segregation on interstate buses, and the 1953 Baton Rouge boycott showed how Black riders could resist.
These cases did not cover local city transport, where Jim Crow laws still applied.
Activists like Charles Hamilton Houston and Thurgood Marshall, along with groups such as CORE, had built the legal and strategic groundwork.

Note

Rosa Parks was chosen strategically by the NAACP and local civil rights leaders as the face of a legal challenge to bus segregation.
Other Black women who had previously resisted were not selected because of their social circumstances, perceived respectability, and how they might be portrayed by white-dominated media and courts.
Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old student, refused to give up her bus seat on March 2, 1955. She was arrested and charged, but leaders like E.D. Nixon and Jo Ann Robinson chose not to use her case due to her age, working-class background, and the later revelation that she was pregnant outside of marriage. They feared this would discredit the movement.
Mary Louise Smith, arrested in October 1955 for the same reason, was also not selected because her family was seen by some NAACP officials as too "unreliable" or "lower-class" for public scrutiny.
Parks, by contrast, was a well-respected, middle-aged woman, a churchgoer, and a longtime NAACP secretary. She had been active in civil rights work for over a decade and had received training in nonviolent protest at the Highlander Folk School.
Her demeanor, reputation, and activism made her “the perfect plaintiff.” She was considered “above reproach,” unlikely to be discredited by courts or the press. NAACP attorney Fred Gray later said she had “the right background, the right age, and the right image.”
While her arrest was not staged, leaders seized the opportunity to use her case due to her social respectability and symbolic value.
This reflects the strategic realities of the movement, which operated in a racist and sexist society where optics shaped public and legal outcomes.

Organization and Leadership

Black leaders including E.D. Nixon, Martin Luther King Jr., and Ralph Abernathy founded the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) to lead the boycott.
King, only 27 years old, was elected president, marking his rise to national leadership.
At the mass meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church, King gave his first major civil rights speech, calling for nonviolent resistance.
The MIA coordinated alternative systems such as carpools and walking groups to replace bus transport.

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Note

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Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

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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 nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

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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The Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956)

Background and Spark

The boycott was a year-long protest in Montgomery, Alabama, against bus segregation.
It began on December 1, 1955, after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger.
Parks was a long-time NAACP activist, trained in nonviolent resistance, and was chosen deliberately as a strong test case.
Her arrest followed earlier acts of resistance by Claudette Colvin, Aurelia Browder, and Mary Louise Smith.
The Women’s Political Council, led by Jo Ann Robinson, quickly organized a one-day boycott that expanded into a mass campaign.
Earlier precedents shaped the movement. Irene Morgan v. Virginia (1946) outlawed segregation on interstate buses, and the 1953 Baton Rouge boycott showed how Black riders could resist.
These cases did not cover local city transport, where Jim Crow laws still applied.
Activists like Charles Hamilton Houston and Thurgood Marshall, along with groups such as CORE, had built the legal and strategic groundwork.

Note

Rosa Parks was chosen strategically by the NAACP and local civil rights leaders as the face of a legal challenge to bus segregation.
Other Black women who had previously resisted were not selected because of their social circumstances, perceived respectability, and how they might be portrayed by white-dominated media and courts.
Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old student, refused to give up her bus seat on March 2, 1955. She was arrested and charged, but leaders like E.D. Nixon and Jo Ann Robinson chose not to use her case due to her age, working-class background, and the later revelation that she was pregnant outside of marriage. They feared this would discredit the movement.
Mary Louise Smith, arrested in October 1955 for the same reason, was also not selected because her family was seen by some NAACP officials as too "unreliable" or "lower-class" for public scrutiny.
Parks, by contrast, was a well-respected, middle-aged woman, a churchgoer, and a longtime NAACP secretary. She had been active in civil rights work for over a decade and had received training in nonviolent protest at the Highlander Folk School.
Her demeanor, reputation, and activism made her “the perfect plaintiff.” She was considered “above reproach,” unlikely to be discredited by courts or the press. NAACP attorney Fred Gray later said she had “the right background, the right age, and the right image.”
While her arrest was not staged, leaders seized the opportunity to use her case due to her social respectability and symbolic value.
This reflects the strategic realities of the movement, which operated in a racist and sexist society where optics shaped public and legal outcomes.

Organization and Leadership

Black leaders including E.D. Nixon, Martin Luther King Jr., and Ralph Abernathy founded the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) to lead the boycott.
King, only 27 years old, was elected president, marking his rise to national leadership.
At the mass meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church, King gave his first major civil rights speech, calling for nonviolent resistance.
The MIA coordinated alternative systems such as carpools and walking groups to replace bus transport.

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 Montgomery Bus Boycott 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

The Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956)

Background and Spark

Organization and Leadership

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

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account

The Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956)

Background and Spark

Organization and Leadership

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

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account