Martin Luther King, Jr.: Montgomery Bus Boycott (Essay Sample)

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Montgomery Bus Boycott Martin Luther king was a social activist and a Baptist minister in the United States. Martin led the civil rights movement from mid -1950s to 1968 when he was assassinated. He was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta Georgia and died in April 4, 1968(Jeffrey, 2013, 5). He continues to be remembered as one of the most influential African-American leaders in the united history and referenced by his speech “I have a dream.” Martin played a pivotal role in creating the voting rights act of 1965 and the civil rights act of 1964 as well as ending legal segregation of African –American citizens in many parts of the nation (Phibbs, 2009, 12). Montgomery Bus Boycott is a story of an event where African-American citizens refused to ride in the buses of Montgomery city in protest of the segregated seating. The protest that took place from December 5, 1955 to December 20, 1956 was one of the largest demonstrations against segregation in the United States. The protest took place four days later after Rosa parks, an African-American woman was arrested and fined for refusing to surrender her seat to white man in the Montgomery bus. In 1955, African American were required to sit in the back half of the buses to yield seat for the whites if the front seats reserved for white was full. Following this incidence, there was a mass boycott as news spread across the Alabama city. Black ministers also announced boycott of church services on Sunday December 4, 1955. On December 5, 1955, black leaders met and formed the Montgomery improvement association (MIA). The member of the group elected Martin Luther king jr. as the president of the movement and they decided to continue the boycotts until their demands are addressed. Finally, with several black meetings and court proceeding justice prevailed on December 20, 1956 when the court city appealed to the court decision (Miller, 2012, 13). This protest for justice in the boycotts put king on the spotlight since it is the first protest in the history of United States to bring fair treatment to African American. Martin emerged as a prominent national leader. He used the leadership skills he had acquired from his academic training and religious background to champion the rights of the African-Americans. By mobilizing the black churches and organizing protest strategies. Martin helped in the formation of the southern Christian leadership conference (SCLC), a civil rights group that ended segregation in the south (O'Hern et al, 2006, 34). The story of the Montgomery bus boycott offers many lessons when studying the history of the United States. First I learnt that institution play a vital role in the success of social movements. The boycott of buses brought together black women groups, churches, unions and labor organizations, black business as well supportive local white. The association of these groups rallied support and gave the boycott an organizational framework. They inspired the participants and gave clear message on the demands of the African Americans. There was support from various sectors. For instance, a black owned taxi business, provided transport services at the time of boycott at lower fees, and this provided resources to support the boycott for low earners (Fradin, 2010, 22). The institutions and organization did not have a common philosophy. However, they came together for more than a year to make the boycotts a success. Without cooperation among the organizations and the institutions, the boycott would have failed. Secondly, clear ideas and organizational framework are vital for the success of a social movement. This is the point where the philosophies of martin Luther king jr. as a spokesperson, leader, and an intellectual come into play. His ideas, words, and gift as an orator motivated the members of the movement. His education, religious background, gender, and class position made him a public leader and a frontman. People do not appreciate the impact of leaders in for a successful movement. The leaders as the spokesperson are influential since they give directions, motivate members and they help to maintain unity of member in a movement. Social movement encounters difficulties in the process o...