Hello, and welcome to today's lesson on the Montgomery Bus Boycott that started in 1955 and ended in 1956.

This lesson is part of a broader inquiry looking at how the Civil Rights Movement developed between 1954 and 1960.

In the course of this inquiry, we cover lots of things, including the segregation and discrimination that existed in the 1950s and moved through the period looking at all the key events and organisations involved in the development of the Civil Rights Movement up until 1960.

But for today's lesson, we are just focusing on the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

And for that, you're going to need a piece of paper and a pen.

If you don't have one, that's absolutely fine.

Just pause the video now, get everything you need, and when you're ready to go, come back and press Play.

Great, now you've got everything you need, let's have a look at our outcome for today.

So, by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to explain the significance of the Montgomery Bus boycott.

But in order to do that, we're going to need some keywords.

For this lesson, we have three: boycott, carpool, and direct action.

It's all good and well having some keywords, but it'd be really helpful for us to have some definitions before we see them in the context of the lesson.

When you refuse to use a service as a form protest, it is known as a boycott.

A carpool is an en arrangement where a group of people agree to share a vehicle from one place to another, usually as an alternative to public transport.

And finally, direct action is the use of demonstrations or protest to achieve a goal rather than negotiation.

Now, that we've got our key words, let's get started on today's lesson.

So, in the first part of today's lesson, we'll be looking at segregated transport.

By 1955, transport services across southern states in the USA were still segregated.

And in Montgomery, Alabama, these laws were especially harsh.

Black Americans had to sit at the back of the bus and White Americans at the front.

If all the front seats were full, then Black Americans were to give up their seats.

Anyone who refused to follow these laws faced arrest, harassment, or physical assault.

And remember, this was something that happened across the USA, but particularly in the South.

And within the South, there were some states that were harsher than others.

And like I've said, Montgomery, Alabama is an example of where these laws were particularly harsh.

It wasn't just a case of being arrested.

If you refused to follow these laws, you may have been assaulted, you may have been harassed, or worse.

So, before we look at how some people, despite the risk of arrest or assault, continued to resist these laws, let's stop and check our understanding so far.

So, which of the following statements best describes laws about segregated transport in 1955? Was it that they were still in place, but very enforced by the police or public? Was it that they were still in place and particularly harsh in northern cities like New York? Or was it that they were still in place and particularly harsh in southern cities like Montgomery? Pause the video now, make a decision and come back when you think you have an answer.

Great work, the answer is c.

We know these laws were still in place and they were particularly harsh in southern cities like Montgomery.

Now, let's have a look at how some people responded to these harsh laws that were still in place by 1955.

Now, on the slide here you'll see a photograph of a 15-year-old girl named Claudette Colvin, and she was one of the first of several Black Americans who protested against segregated transport by refusing to follow these laws.

And she did so in March, 1955.

However, it was the arrest of Rosa Parks on the 1st December, 1955 that would cause events to escalate quickly.

And she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a White American man.

Now, before we look at how these events escalated so quickly after the arrest of Rosa Parks, we're going to pause and just check our understanding and put what we've learned so far into practise.

So, which two of the following individuals protested against segregated education transport in 1955? Remember, it's two individuals.

Pause the video now, press Play when you think you know the answer.

Great work, the first was Claudette Colvin in March, 1955.

Remember, she was just 15 years old, the same age as a lot of people doing their GCSEs right now, and she was protesting against segregated transport.

But it was also Rosa Parks, who on the 1st of December, 1955 refused to give up her seat for a White American man.

And it was this arrest that would spark the event that became known as the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Now, I'd like you to put what you've learned so far into practise by completing the table to show whether each of the following statements is true or false.

You've got five statements here.

So, give yourself about five minutes, maybe a few minutes more to decide whether each statement is true or false.

If it's true, just put a T in the right hand column.

If it's false, just put an F.

So, pause the video now and come back when you're done.

Excellent work.

Now, you can see on the slide what your table should look like.

So, the first statement, bus transport was still segregated in 1955 in many states, we know that that's true.

Segregated laws were particularly harsh in the North.

Not quite, we know that they were particularly harsh in the South, so that statement is false.

Black Americans had to sit at the back of segregated buses.

That is, in fact, true.

Segregation laws had been amended to allow Black Americans to remain seated even when the bus was full.

That is in fact false, they had to give up their seats.

And Rosa Parks was the first person to protest against segregated transport by refusing to give up her seat.

We know that that statement is false because we can at least use the example of Claudette Colvin in March, 1955.

Great work in this first part of the lesson, let's move on.

So, in the second part of the lesson, we're going to be looking at the events of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Now, I've already told you it was the arrest of Rosa Parks that would spark the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

And the reason for this was because the Women's Political Council, the WPC, and the Montgomery branch of NAACP, had been actively protesting against segregated transport and saw the arrest of Rosa Parks, who was also the secretary for the NAACP in Montgomery as an opportunity to push for change.

Jo Ann Robinson, the leader of the WPC, and E.

D.

Nixon, the leader of Montgomery NAACP, spent the weekend following Parks' arrest handing out leaflets to the public to gather support for a one-day boycott in Montgomery.

People were to boycott the buses on the 5th of December.

As 75% of people who used the buses were Black Americans, they believed it could be a huge success as it would have a negative financial impact on the bus company.

And the Montgomery Improvement Association, the MIA, was formed to coordinate the boycott with Martin Luther King Jr, a new pastor of the local church as its president.

Now, let's pause there and check our understanding so far before we go on to look at what happened when this boycott was started.

Which two of these organisations decided to use the arrest of Parks to push for change? Was it, a, the Women's Political Council, WPC, b, the Congress for Racial Equality, CORE, or c, the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, the NAACP? Pause the video now, make a decision about which two of these three organisations is the correct answer and then come back and press Play.

Really good work.

So, hopefully you've said that it was the Women's Political Council led by Joan Ann Robinson and the NAACP, which was led in Montgomery by E.

D.

Nixon.

Great work so far.

Now, let's look at what happened after the boycott began.

Now, although the boycott was only planned to be a one-day boycott, the first day was a huge success with an estimated 20,000 people participating, and it was agreed that the boycott would be extended.

King gave a speech to 7,000 people that evening to gather even more support for the cause.

His excellent speaking skills resulted in many more people joining the boycott.

We can see here on the slide that there's 100 people gathering to protest just one arrest of one of the boycotters in February, 1956 of the next year.

And at first, the MIA only called for an end to the rule that Black Americans should give up their seats if the front was full.

However, after Montgomery officials denied this moderate demand, the MIA called for the full desegregation of buses.

The retaliation from some White Americans was immediate and violent.

Martin Luther King Jr's home was bombed, and many boycotters were fired from their jobs or arrested.

In order to try and bring an end to the boycott, taxi cabs were ordered to increase their fares so that most Black Americans could no longer afford to take a cab instead of the bus.

So, Martin Luther King then worked with local churches to organise carpools to help support the boycott.

These carpools were often attacked by White Americans.

Now, before we look at how this boycott would eventually come to an end, we're going to pause very quickly and just look at a couple of questions to check you're following along.

First, Martin Luther King played an important role in the success of the boycott, is this statement true or false? Pause the video now, and when you think you have an answer, come back and press Play.

Great work, we know that it is true.

He did play an important role, but we need to think about why.

Is it because he gave a moving speech to 7,000 people and gained more support? Or was it because he planned the boycott and only later got the support of the WPC and the local NAACP? Pause the video again, and when you think you have an answer, come back and press Play.

Great work, we know it's because he gave a moving speech to 7,000 people on the first evening of the boycott, gaining more support.

We also learned that he worked with local churches to organise carpools to help support the boycott after taxi cabs were ordered to increase their fares.

Let's look at one more question.

I'd like you to think about how did local authorities and employers react to the boycott? Just jot down a list of a couple of ways that they reacted to the boycott.

Pause the video now, give yourself a couple of minutes to write down some ideas and then come back and press Play.

Great work.

You might have said taxi fares were increased and then carpools were attacked.

And also, some of those taking part in the boycott were fired from their jobs.

Now, let's take a look at how the boycott came to an end.

Now, despite the resistance, despite the violence shown towards the boycotters and the fire bombing of Martin Luther King's home, the boycott continued.

And on the 5th of June, 1956, the MIA won their case in court that ruled segregation on buses in Alabama was unconstitutional.

This ruling was agreed by the Supreme Court in November, and it came into effect in December, 1956, which brought an end to the year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott.

And King was among the first Black Americans to ride on a desegregated bus in Montgomery, and we can see that photograph on the left side here.

We see him riding on a desegregated bus next to a White American in Montgomery.

And then, on the right-hand side, we have E.

D.

Nixon being cheered by crowds following the success of the boycott 'cause remember, he was the leader of the Montgomery branch of the NAACP.

It was celebrated as a huge success and a huge achievement for Black Americans.

Now, before we move on to the final part of the lesson, I've got a couple more questions and a quick practise task for you.

So, starting with the earliest, I'd like you to sort these events into chronological order with one as the earliest.

Give yourself a few minutes just to jot down the correct order of these events and then come back and we'll have a look at what your order should look like.

So, we know that first Rosa Parks was arrested.

Then, Jo Ann Robinson, leader of the WPC, and E.

D.

Nixon, leader of the Montgomery NAACP, planned a one-day boycott.

Then, the MIA extends the boycott and carpools are organised.

And then, finally, the Supreme Court upholds the decision to desegregate transport.

Really great job.

You've now got a nice clear summary of the events of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which should help you with your practise task for this section.

I'd like you to write one paragraph summarising the events of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

But in this paragraph, I'd like you to make sure you include the following details.

Rosa Parks, Jo Ann Robinson and E.

D.

Nixon, the MIA, Martin Luther King Jr.

, carpools, one of our key words, violent opposition, and Supreme Court.

Give yourself around 10 minutes to write this paragraph, and when you're done, come back and press Play.

Excellent work so far.

Let's have a look at what your paragraph for Task B might have looked like.

In December 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a White American man.

Jo Ann Robinson and E.

D.

Nixon saw this as an opportunity to organise a one-day boycott in order to protest segregated transport in Montgomery, Alabama.

The Montgomery Improvement Association, the MIA, was formed to organise the boycott with Martin Luther King Jr leading the MIA.

The boycott was a huge success as 20,000 people took part.

As their demands were not met, the boycott continued.

Carports were organised to help Black Americans access affordable transport.

Despite increasingly violent opposition, the boycott continued until December 1956 when the Supreme Court's ruling to desegregate transport came into effect.

If you managed to get all those details in there as well as some keywords, really, really well done.

Now, we can move on to the third and final part of our lesson for today.

In this part of the lesson, we'll be looking at the legacy of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Now, the boycott was a hugely significant moment in the Civil Rights Movement as it gained the attention of the nation and brought Martin Luther King into the spotlight as a motivating and charismatic speaker.

We can see a photograph of him here speaking about his involvement in the boycott.

He's surrounded by journalists, photographers, and people waiting to hear about his experience in this national achievement.

The movement was one of the first large scale acts of nonviolent direct action that was successful in its aims. The boycott gained the support of Black Americans, who had been losing hope that unity and peaceful protests could work.

Another lasting legacy of the Montgomery Bus Boycott was the 1957 Civil Rights Act passed in the following year.

The first Civil Rights Act passed for over 80 years.

Although many felt that Eisenhower had passed a watered down act that did not go far enough and resulted in very little change, for others, it was the beginning of a move towards greater government support for the Civil Rights Movement.

And if we have a look at our slide here, we've got those key points summarised.

So, firstly, Martin Luther King was brought into the spotlight.

Secondly, the boycott showed that nonviolent direct action could work.

And finally, it led to Eisenhower passing the 1957 Civil Rights Act.

So, now let's check our understanding about the legacy of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and look at one final practise task.

So, I'd like you to tell me which of the following leaders was brought into the spotlight as a result of their role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott? Pause the video now and when you think you know, come back and press Play.

Excellent, we know that it was Martin Luther King Jr.

That's not to say that Jo Ann Robinson and E.

D.

Nixon didn't play a huge role because it was their decision to organise a one-day boycott that ultimately led to the success in 1956.

Without their work, we don't know if it would've happened.

I'd like you to now list the reasons why the Montgomery Bus Boycott was a hugely significant moment in the Civil Rights Movement in your own words.

So, have a think about what we've looked at in this section and put that in a way that you would phrase it that makes sense to you.

So, pause the video now, give yourself a few minutes to jot down some key ideas and then come back when you've done that.

Excellent work, you might have said something like, it gained national attention, it brought Martin Luther King into the spotlight, it showed that large scale nonviolent direct action could work, it gained the support of many Black Americans, or it led to the passing of the 1957 Civil Rights Act, the first in 80 years.

Great work.

Let's now put all of this into practise.

So, I'd like you to read Andeep's interpretation about the impact of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

He says, "The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a landmark moment for the Civil Rights Movement.

However, that can only be said looking back at the movement because now we know that Martin Luther King became a successful civil rights activist, and the 1957 Civil Rights Act was subsequently passed.

The boycott would not have been seen as significant for people at the time because of the extent of violent opposition that was experienced by the boycotters." I want you to explain to me in a paragraph, how far do you agree with Andeep's interpretation? In explaining how far you agree with it, I want you to make sure you use at least one quote from his response and also evidence from this lesson to support your answer.

So, pause the video now, give yourself 10 to 15 minutes if you need to write a response to tell me how far you agree with his response, and then come back and press Play when you're done.

Excellent work.

Your answer might have looked something like this, "I agree with Andy's interpretation to a limited extent.

This is because while he does acknowledge the long-term impact of the Montgomery Bus Boycott as the 1957 Civil Rights Act was subsequently passed, and the extent of violent opposition, which can be seen in the firebombing of King's home, Andeep does not highlight the immediate success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Despite violent resistance, the boycott was ultimately seen as successful by people at the time.

This can be supported by the evidence that the MIA succeeded in getting the Supreme Court to uphold the decision that segregation on transport was unconstitutional.

This ended the boycott and ensured the desegregation of transport in the state of Alabama.

Ultimately, the boycott showed the powerful potential of using nonviolent direct action to push for change." Now, if you were able to use quotes from his interpretation and also evidence from the lesson, really well done.

You might also have presented an alternative viewpoint.

You might have agreed with Andeep.

In that case, you would've been using the evidence that you had to support the extent of violent opposition.

You might have also, like this answer, made reference to the firebombing on Martin Luther King's home.

But you might also talked about other forms of opposition, so the firing of boycotters from their jobs or the instruction to get taxi cabs to increase their fares in order to support Andeep;s interpretation.

Whatever your judgement was, if it was supported with a quote and relevant evidence, really well done.

You've done absolutely fantastic work this lesson.

I'm very, very impressed.

And in the final part, we're gonna be looking at a quick summary of what we've learned today.

So, firstly, we learned that in 1955 transport across southern states was still segregated, was particularly harsh in Montgomery, that the arrest of Rosa Parks led to the founding of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the MIA, led by Martin Luther King and a one-day boycott to protest against segregation laws.

We then learned that the boycott lasted from December 1955 until December 1956, a whole year, not just one day.

And only ended when the Supreme Court upheld that segregated transport was unconstitutional, and ensured desegregated transport in Alabama.

And then, finally, the boycott became a landmark moment in the Civil Rights Movement as it brought Martin Luther King into the spotlight, led to the 1957 Civil Rights Act, and showed that nonviolent direct action could, in fact, achieve change.

You've done brilliantly.

You've covered so much.

Really well done for your work today.