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NAACP Forms
On February 12th, 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was formed. This organization would play critical and crucial roles in the furthering of civil rights in the United States and would be involved in countless, historical victories for the advancement and strengthening of civil rights. -
Rosa Parks Joins the Montgomery NAACP Branch
Rosa Parks joined the Montgomery NAACP in 1943 as the branch's secretary. By 1947 Rosa Parks had become the state secretary of the NAACP.
(Library of Congress, n.d.) -
Women's Political Council of Montgomery Forms
In 1949 Mary Fair Burks established the Women's Political Council to elevate and improve the lives of African Americans and to increase the political leverage available to the black community. The WPC had been calling for bus boycotts and change well before the MIA initiated the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott.
(Stanford University, 2018) -
Brown v. Board of Education Ruling
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that "separate but equal" segregation in schools was unconstitutional. This set the stage for victory in future movements like the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
(National Archives, 2021) -
Claudette Colvin Refuses to Give Up Seat
15-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus and was arrested. There had already been discussion of boycotting the Montgomery buses due to segregation, and after Claudette's arrest, Martin Luther King Jr. joined the discussions of a boycott.
(Waxman, 2020) -
Aurelia Browder Refuses to Give Up Seat
37-year-old Aurelia Browder refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus and was arrested.
(Waxman, 2020) -
Mary Louise Smith Refuses to Give Up Seat
18-year-old Mary Louise Smith was arrested after refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus to a white passenger. -
Rosa Parks Refuses to Give Up Seat
Rosa Parks, angry over the acquittal of Emmett Till's murderers, is arrested after refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger in violation of Montgomery laws that required black passengers to surrender seats to white passengers.
(National Constitution Center, 2022) -
One Day Bus Boycott Begins
Led by the WPC, a one-day boycott of the Montgomery buses began. The boycott was expected to have a 60% turnout.
(Stanford University, 2020b) -
E.D. Nixon Organizes Meeting
E.D. Nixon, a local leader, and NAACP leader, organized a meeting at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church for the following day. This meeting would see the creation of the Montgomery Improvement Association, which would organize and maintain a boycott of the bus system until the end of bus segregation.
(National Park Service, n.d.) -
Montgomery Improvement Association Formed
The Montgomery Improvement Association was formed by leaders of the black community in Montgomery, Alabama.
After the success of a one-day boycott of the Montgomery buses, the MIA was formed to handle the continuation and oversight of a lengthened boycott. The association also advocated for first-come/first-served seating, employment of black bus drivers, and better treatment of black passengers by bus operators.
(Stanford University, 2020a) -
Montgomery Bus Boycott Begins
The Montgomery Bus Boycott began with involvement from the Women's Political Council of Montgomery, Martin Luther King Jr., NAACP, and countless community leaders and citizens who opposed the segregation of the bus system.
The previous one-day boycott experienced success far beyond what organizers expected; they met and agreed to continue the momentum by expanding and lengthening the boycott.
(Kratz & National Archives, 2015) -
MIA Organizes Carpooling
The MIA organized a carpool system in an effort to support those left with limited means of transportation due to the bus boycott. Actions like this led to the bombing of Martin Luther King Jr.'s house and the house of E. D. Nixon, a prominent leader of the MIA and NAACP.
(National Park Service, n.d.) -
MIA Leaders Indicted by Montgomery
In February of 1956, the city of Montgomery indicted nearly 90 boycott leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. They were cited as being in violation of a 1921 Alabama anti-boycott law.
(Stanford University, 2020a) -
MArtin Luther King Jr. Indicted as a MIA leader
Of the original nearly 90 boycott leaders arrested, Martin Luther King Jr. is the only one to be prosecuted. In a sham, racially motivated conviction, Dr. King was fined a thousand dollars and received a suspended jail sentence of a year of hard labor.
(Madeo, n.d.) -
Federal District Court Rules Segregation is Unconstitutional
On June 5th, 1956, the panel of a Federal District Court ruled 2-1 that Alabama bus segregation was unconstitutional. The ruling was lauded as a victory for civil rights, but the Montgomery bus boycott would continue until the implementation of the ruling.
The NAACP provided funding and attorneys to represent the plaintiffs.
(Stanford University, 2020b) -
The SUpreme Court Upholds the District Court Ruling
The Supreme Court struck down laws dictating racial segregation on Montgomery Buses. On December 20th, the orders against segregation were delivered to Montgomery, and the following day, segregation officially ended on Montgomery buses.
(Stanford University, 2020b) -
Montgomery Bus Boycott Ends
After 381 days of boycott, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Montgomery Improvement Association voted to end the Montgomery bus boycott. The buses were integrated the next day, as segregation on the buses officially ended.
This event established the beginning of the Civil RIghts Movement and established Martin Luther King Jr. as a leader of the movement. (Stanford University, 2020b)