This collection of primary resources and corresponding activities sheds light on the endurance of peaceful protesters in Montgomery, Ala., who overturned an unjust law.
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks sparked a revolution by sitting still. Her simple act of defiance against racial segregation on city buses inspired the African American community of Montgomery, Ala., to unite against the segregationists who ran City Hall.
Over the course of a year, the Montgomery Bus Boycott would test the endurance of the peaceful protesters, overturn an unjust law and create a legacy that continues to inspire those who work for freedom and justice today.
Teaching Tolerance's video kit, Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks, [1] revisits this familiar historical event and finds new stories that introduce new heroes. The following activities can be used to supplement a classroom viewing of "Mighty Times" or other lessons about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
ACTIVITY 1: Herbert Block Cartoon
News headlines throughout the world heralded the happenings in Montgomery, Alabama, after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a city bus. And, political cartoonists took pen to paper to share their views on a southern town's revolution against racial prejudice. One such political cartoonist was Herbert Block.
Block was only nineteen when he "joined the major leagues of newspaper cartoonists" in 1928. His father suggested his pen name by combining his name; thus, Herblock was born. Herblock's career spanned the Great Depression to the new millennium. Herb Block's "instincts are common-sensical," according to the late Katherine Graham, former Chair of the Washington Post Company.
Look at this cartoon, [2] where a white man is angry as a black man, walking away, refuses to ride the city bus. Brainstorm a list of what you see in the cartoon.
ACTIVITY 2: Montgomery City Code Document
The Montgomery City Code [3] outlines the law as it stood in 1955 and was cited by prosecutors as the reason Rosa Parks broke the law. Read the code and answer the following questions:
ACTIVITY 3: "Bus Boycott Conference Fails to Find Solution" Article
Dr. King met with bus line officials for four hours in an attempt to find common ground. Yet, as reported in this December, 1955 article [4] bus line officials remained firm in their stance to follow the city code.
Jack Crenshaw, legal counsel for the bus line, commented, "We do not contemplate and have no intentions of hiring Negro drivers. The time is not right in Montgomery, but who can say what will happen in 10 years."
ACTIVITY 4: "Negroes' Boycott Cripples Bus Line" Article
This January, 1956, New York Times special report [5] details the impact of the successful bus boycott on the city's economy. (The New York Times. Reprinted with permission.)
ACTIVITY 5: "Negroes' Most Urgent Needs" Historical Document
Negroes' Most Urgent Needs [6] was submitted to the Montgomery City Council in 1955 prior to the Montgomery bus boycott.
Transportation, housing, public parks and fair hiring practices are a few areas in which representatives demanded answers. Review the list of the "most urgent needs."
ACTIVITY 6: "Negro Minister Convicted of Directing Bus Boycott" Article
This March, 1956, New York Times article [7] details one legal battle leading to the desegregation of Montgomery's bus lines. (The New York Times. Reprinted with permission.)
ACTIVITY 7: "What Did the Supreme Court Actually Mean?" Article
An April 26, 1956, editorial [8] takes to task those who, according to the writer, prematurely interpreted the U.S. Supreme Court decision as ending segregation on public transportation.
ACTIVITY 8: "Integrated Bus Suggestions" Document
Released after the US Supreme Court ruling, Integrated Bus Suggestions [9] was written to the African-American community from the Montgomery Improvement Association of which Dr. King was president.
ACTIVITY 9: "Bus Integration in Alabama Calm" Article
Dr. King's approach of non-violence was effective in integrating Montgomery's public transportation as reported in this December 26, 1956, New York Times article. [10]
(The New York Times. Reprinted with permission.)
Links:
[1] http://www.tolerance.org/kit/mighty-times-legacy-rosa-parks
[2] http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/images/s03530u.jpg
[3] http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson1/doc1.html
[4] http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson1/doc3.html
[5] http://www.tolerance.org/images/teach/activities/Negroes_Boycott.pdf
[6] http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson1/doc4.html
[7] http://www.tolerance.org/images/teach/activities/Minister_Convicted.pdf
[8] http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson1/doc6.html
[9] http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson1/doc7.html
[10] http://www.tolerance.org/images/teach/activities/Bus_Integration.pdf