The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Rise of Nonviolent Protest

Before studying the Montgomery Bus Boycott, we must understand the legal and social environment of the South in the 1950s. Which of the following were established legal or social realities in South Carolina and the South prior to 1955?

• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 had already outlawed discrimination in all public accommodations.

• Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation in almost all areas of public life, including transportation.

Before the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which legal doctrine established by the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) allowed South Carolina and other Southern states to maintain racially segregated public facilities?

• The 'separate but equal' doctrine, which permitted segregation as long as facilities were supposedly of the same quality.

• The 'popular sovereignty' doctrine, which allowed local citizens to vote on whether to allow segregation in their towns.

How did the Montgomery Bus Boycott demonstrate the strategic effectiveness of nonviolent direct action as a tool for social change?

• It relied on spontaneous violent protests to draw national media attention to the city's policies.

• It leveraged economic pressure and collective discipline to force a legal challenge against segregation laws.

• It focused on electing new city officials who promised to change the bus seating policies immediately.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott demonstrated that nonviolent direct action could achieve social change by creating an economic crisis for the city's transit system, rather than relying solely on legal challenges in the courts.

• True
• False

What was the name of the organization formed in 1955 to oversee the Montgomery Bus Boycott and select a leader for the movement?​ ​ (a)  

• 'Montgomery Improvement Association'
• Montgomery Civil Rights Group
• Alabama Bus Coalition
• Southern Leadership Conference

Match the key components and outcomes of the Montgomery Bus Boycott to their historical significance in the development of the Civil Rights Movement.

• Promoted peaceful protests and civil disobedience

• Philosophy of Nonviolent Resistance

• Organized the boycott and mobilized the community

• Browder v. Gayle

• Declared segregation on buses unconstitutional

• Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA)

  
  

• Used economic pressure to challenge segregation

• Economic Leverage

​ (a)   is arrested for refusing to give up her seat, leading the Women's Political Council to distribute flyers calling for a one-day protest.

• Rosa Parks
• Martin Luther King Jr.
• Malcolm X
• Harriet Tubman

The Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) is formed and elects ​ (a)   to lead a long-term nonviolent economic boycott.

• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Malcolm X
• Rosa Parks
• Frederick Douglass

The city of ​ (a)   faces significant financial loss as African Americans organize carpools and walk to work for over a year.

• Montgomery
• Atlanta
• New Orleans
• Chicago

The Supreme Court rules in ​ (a)   that segregated buses are unconstitutional, resulting in the integration of public transit.

• Browder v. Gayle
• Brown v. Board of Education
• Roe v. Wade
• Miranda v. Arizona