Montgomery Bus Boycott

1. The Montgomery bus boycott was a political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transport system of Montgomery, Alabama.

2. Because Rosa Parks sat down and refused to give up her seat to a white passenger, she was arrested for disobeying an Alabama law requiring black people to give up seats to white people when the bus was full. (Blacks also had to sit at the back of the bus.) Her arrest sparked a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system.

3. Rosa's arrest was very significant as it lead to the boycott which jump started the civil rights movement.

4. Furthermore, the Montgomery Bus Boycott was important because it set the tone for the whole civil rights movement. In particular, the boycott gave Martin Luther King a position of leadership within the national movement and showed that the nonviolent method of protest was effective.