Lightning Makes No Sound Until It Strikes
MLK and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Picture this, you are loading a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. You are absolutely terrified of the driver as he demands you sit in the “blacks only” section. He’s yelling in your face and everyone in their seats are wide-eyed, staring back at you. Back then, everyone rode the bus. However, creatively thinking, what if we just didn’t ride the bus? Could we break this system?
50,000 flyers.
“Remember, we are fighting for a cause. Do not ride a bus today” -Words written on the flyers passed out around the town of Montgomery.
The Negro revolution surfaced so quietly on the American scene with the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 and 1956, that the North basically ignored it. Just like lightning makes no sound until it strikes, when the major revolution struck, the so called “flash” of the revolution’s power and impact of the revolution’s passionate feeling displayed a force of intensity on the world.
“I have a dream that one day my four children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” -MLK during the I have a dream speech
382 days.
The African American population of Montgomery, Alabama, including Martin Luther King, refused to ride the segregated busses in the town. As they watched the empty busses go by, they were making history at the same time. This was one of the major turning points in the American Civil Rights movement.
“I would rather be in jail for 10 years than desert my people. I have begun the struggle and I cannot turn back” -MLK
Martin Luther King Jr. did not wait to change anything in his lifetime. He had goals and achieved them by simply standing up for what he believed in. King is a hero because he spoke his mind. His peacemaking inspired many people around the world. Martin Luther King lost his own life trying to better the lives of African Americans. He made the Civil Rights Movement more public than it had ever been, and eventually, started to pave the path for equal rights for everyone. By 1955, Martin Luther King Jr. was a well-known Activist who was attempting to do away with discrimination and end the highly unfair segregation laws in the South.
King spoke to around 5,000 people at a Baptist church in Montgomery. He delivered his speech December 5th 1955, which was 4 days after Ms. Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person on a bus. In his speech, he pleads to the audience to continue the campaign until they succeed and end the humiliation of black citizens. In the words of Martin Luther King, he wanted to continue until they “gain justice in the busses of the city.”
“As you know, there comes a time when you get tired of being trampled on. The time is now. We are so tired of going through the long night and days of captivity. And now, we are reaching out for the daybreak of freedom and justice and equality.” -MLK during Montgomery bus boycott speech
Martin Luther King helped diminish the intolerance toward those who held different opinions for others, in the minds of racists. He was inspired by Gandhi, a leader of India’s independence movement, and joined the bus boycott started by Rosa Parks. King then helped guide the movement along the way as an extremely strong leader. He assisted African Americans in joining together and created equality in the South. At the time, this was nothing that could be attained easily.
King’s take on nonviolence was crucial. However, not all of his movements were successful. The protests were broken up by the southern police, who were said to have used police dogs and fire hoses. The extreme violence of the protests was aired and shown on television.
“We are Christian people. The only weapon we have in our hands is the weapon of protest. That’s it.” -MLK during his boycott speech
On December 20th, 1956, a Montgomery federal court ruled that any law that requires racially segregated seating on buses was to be violating the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. That amendment, guarantees all citizens regardless of race, equal rights and equal protection under federal and the state laws. Montgomery’s buses were integrated on In 1956 and the boycott ended, finally, after 381 days.
His protests and organizations lead to his Nobel Peace Prize, and many other important awards.
“Peace is more precious than diamonds, silver, or gold.” -MLK during his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech
