Rosa Parks, Montgomery Bus Boycott and Civil Rights Leaders

1954 Supreme Court Decision

In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that separate facilities were "inherently unequal" and therefore unconstitutional.

Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Arrest, NAACP Work, and Voting Efforts

On the evening of December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was tired after a long day of work and decided to take a seat on the bus on her ride home. She was an active member of the NAACP: among other roles, she advised the NAACP Youth Council and worked with the Voters' League to prepare Black people to register to vote. Because she 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 relinquish seats to White people when the bus was full. Blacks also had to sit at the back of the bus.

Boycott and Leadership

Her arrest sparked a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system. The new pastor at the local church became the leader of the boycott. His name was Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. King insisted on nonviolent action to achieve the goal of justice. "We must use the weapon of love," he said.

Legal Outcome and Legacy

In December 1956, the Supreme Court banned segregation on public transportation, and the boycott ended over a year after it had begun. Rosa Parks became known as the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement," honored with awards around the world.

Nation of Islam, Black Nationalism, and Malcolm X

In the 1930s, Wallace Fard founded the Nation of Islam. Christianity, declared Fard, was the White man99s religion. Islam was closer to African roots and identity. This was mixed with Black pride and Black nationalism. Fard99s followers became known as Black Muslims. For Black Muslims, integration was not a goal. Rather, the Nation of Islam wanted Blacks to set up their own schools, churches, and support networks.

Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little in 1925, converted to Islam in prison and soon became a spokesperson for the movement. In contrast with Martin Luther King Jr.99s message of peaceful integration, Malcolm X promoted the establishment of a separate state for African Americans. Violence was not the only answer for him, but violence was justified in self-defense. He urged that Black people should achieve what was rightfully theirs "by any means necessary." On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated by rival Nation of Islam members.