In the 1950s, there existed segregation laws in the United States. These laws aimed at discriminating African Americans on the grounds of race and against opportunities such as housing, education employment, and transport services. However, it is notable that these segregation laws were significantly abolished by the 1964 Civil Rights Act of 1964. This law discriminated blacks in public buses. In December 1955, an amusing incident occurred. Seamstress Rosa Park, a one of the African American, opened the Pandora’s Box. It was in Montgomery, Alabama state (Garrow, 2015). The lady had boarded a bus, at the same time a white passenger also boarded the same bus, and the segregation laws were in force at that time, Rosa Parks was to give way and surrender her seat to the white passenger. However, Rosa declined and therefore arrested. Consequentially, this triggered the activists led by Martin Luther King to form Montgomery Improvement Association. As Garrow (2015) posts, the association’s goal was to fight segregation by boycotting the city’s transit system. In this view, this paper will focus on examining how and why the Montgomery Bus boycott helped create a strategy for future campaigns. On the same plane address how and why civil rights philosophies differed.
The Montgomery bus boycott was a landmark and life-changing incident. It projected Martin Luther in the spotlight depicting him as the most crucial force behind the American civil rights movements. Rosa Park's arrest culminated to the landmark decision by the US Supreme court in 1956. The high ranking court of the land overturned the segregation laws terming them unconstitutional and abuse to the freedoms and mistreatment of African American fundamental rights. At this juncture, the pace had just been set for the human/civil rights activists in the US. Initially, and even before Rosa’s arrest, there had been other several attempts by civil rights activists and some were also politically led by the black people. Some of these movements included the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). This association was a branch of the Women's Political Council (WPC) that was based in Montgomery (Garrow, 2015). The association had been agitating and primarily lobbying for city authority's to improve on transit system but had not borne significant results.
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According to Garrow, 2015, resorting to violent means of resistance was not and wouldn’t produce nor achieve any goal. Interestingly, several arrests had been made against African Americans, rampant segregation had become the norm of the day, and most blacks had been suffering in silence. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no hope. All agitation or activism activities were being thwarted, and the leader intimidated to silence. However, when Rosa Park was arrested, it was a blessing in disguise. The activist's group primarily partook this an opportune time to stage formidable lobbying and activism to fight for African American rights against segregation and discrimination especially in the transit system. It was a heaven-sent chance to challenge the system. The blacks were the most people using the bus transit system, and therefore leaflets bearing messages against Park’s arrest were printed distributed all over town and a one day boycott against the buses was staged. When this seems a success, the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) was conceptualized and formed.
Martin Luther King played a significant role in this strategy after being handed the leadership of the association. The lobbying needed a charismatic person with capabilities of lobbying and moving masses to achieve a common goal. Luther was that man. Significantly, the association agitated for equal rights, a stop in segregation and an abolishment of the discriminatory laws against black Americans. The focus was also on the bus companies that had refused to consider the groups' demands, and as a consequence, there were fatal retaliatory reactions. Many blacks suffered, lost employment, protesters arrested and charged, leaders intimidated and to the extent of bombing Luther’s home before his final assignation later on in Memphis. Regardless of these predicaments, challenges, obstacles, and intimidation, the MIA surged on with boycott movement. When pressure seemed unrelenting, the authority had to step in. This is epitomized in the 1956 federal district court ruling that declared the bus transit system segregation as not illegal but also unconstitutional. The boycott majorly stamped as a success when the Supreme Court itself upheld and affirmed this position the same year. Notably, this was just but the begging and the foundation for other campaigns. This is strategy laid ground for future campaigns and the modern days’ campaigns are significantly borrowing a leaf and inspired by famous Montgomery bus boycott strategy. It is evident that movements and resistance applying all the nonviolent means achieves their goals.
On the other hand, the Montgomery Bus Boycott incident occurred during the times when civil rights groups were being formed all over the country primarily to lobby for African American rights. These Civil groups included the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Other groups included the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Urban League and the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). Significantly, the groups aimed at restoring the universal suffrage and outlawing the segregations. Their efforts were through the use of media, boycotts, litigations, demonstrations and other forms of civil disobedience which formed the philosophies of these groups. Philosophically, SCLC was mainly concerned with economic rights and justice and against discrimination in housing. On the other hand, SNCC had shifted from the nonviolence means to agitate for nationalism of the black people.
Similarly, NAACP primarily based their belief in fighting for equal wages and first well-paying jobs. Similarly, the famous CORE group found its philosophy actions on conducting sit-ins. The sit-ins were to agitate for equal rights riding in buses. The Urban League and MIA on later came in especially after the Montgomery bus boycott incident, their main point of focus was to alleviate the lives of black people and fight for the abolishment of the segregation laws in the United States. The different faces and different leadership among these groups explain how and why the group's philosophies differed. Notably, the movements were led by different people; some were young, old and other influenced by other forms revolution occurring worldwide. A clear example is one Ed Nixon who was the NAACP president (Garrow, 2015). Nixon was the force behind the formation of MIA and the Luther King leadership in Montgomery.
In conclusion, it is evident that despite the differed philosophies among the civic groups, they eventually achieved their projected goal freedom. In the same breath, the Montgomery bus boycott is not just a story. It is preferably an intertwined reality on how the ordinary people can rise against the oppressor against all impossibilities. It is also notable that resistance and movements are not a one-day event and does not occur. There is need to sacrifice for a common good, perseverance, commitment effort and time. The Montgomery bus boycott lasted 381 days but eventually bore fruits. In the same breath, it is also a lesson that such movements require charismatic leadership, good organizing, planning, and equally allies. Interestingly, the strategy positioned and fronted by the Montgomery bus boycott was a primary lesson for all the civil rights groups and any other body intending to stage any public campaign. Notably, today it is also evident that we still have movements still going on especially the United States. Some of these civil rights groups have maintained their websites that are still active. Social injustices and segregation are not as widespread as it was initially and this has been through America itself having African American president, Barak Obama.
Reference
Garrow, D. J. (2015). Bearing the cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian leadership conference . New York: Open Road Media.
