This is the 70th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The Montgomery Bus boycott began on Dec. 5, 1955, setting the stage for desegregation in public transportation.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was one of the influential developments of the civil rights movement. It was a social protest that led to the end of segregation in public transportation while propelling into renown such figures as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.
The protest began on Dec. 5, 1955, four days after Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery bus. She was arrested and fined.
The boycott of public buses by Black citizens began after Parks’ court hearing. The boycott, which was led by Martin Luther King Jr., lasted 381 days, until Dec. 20, 1956.
It was considered the first large-scale demonstration for civil rights in the United States. In addition to using private cars, some people used non-motorized means to get around, including cycling, walking, or even riding mules or driving horse-drawn buggies. Some people also hitchhiked.