Social Studies Museum

The Montgomery Bus Boycott

Little Rock Nine

MLK Jr. Speech

Exploring how people's actions and words helped shaped the Civil Rights Movement.

Created by Lauren Duffey & Zoe Calderaro

The voices of freedom Museum

Changing the Rides

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The Montgomery Bus Boycott took place during the years of 1955 to 1966 and it holds importance becasue of it's success. It started with Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man. Her arrest sparked idea's to hold a bus boycott. The only violent issues that occured were the bombing of Martian Luther King Jr. and his friend Ralph Abernathy's homes. Besides that, the year long boycott accomplished the goal to desegreagte buses and empowered the beginning of new organiazations to help the Civil Rights Movement.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

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The Kids Breaking Segregation in Schools

Little Rock 9

After the court ruling to desegregate schools, the Little Rock Nine was formed. This consisted of nine Black students who would bravely volunteer to go to Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. These students faced mobs of angry people and the Arkansas National Guard attempting to keep them out of the school. It wasn't until President Eisenhower sent 1,000 troops to monitor this that these kids were able to go to school. Due to all the violence, troops remained stationed at Central High for the rest of the school year.

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A Speech that Striked America

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MLK Jr. Speech

One of the most famous speeches in American history was the "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28th, 1963. Taking place in Washington D.C., over 250,000 citizens came to hear King's words and many more watched in the comfort of their homes. Although this speech was short, it struck the hearts of many with how inspiring it was, so you can imagine how much of a positive influence it had on the Civil Rights Movement. His brave and persistent words urged others to take action, especially after he was assassinated on April 4th, 1968. This speech lives on as a famous and incredible aspect of our history.

An image of Jo Ann Robinson, president of the WPC and English professor.

The Role of Black Women

in starting the boycott.

A group of black women being led by Jo Ann Robinson (an English professor) was the final aspect to the beginning of the Montogmery Bus Boycott.The night of Rosa Parks' arrest, they set out to print posters of the idea of a boycott. This group was called The Women's Political Council (WPC). Due to their actions, buses across the area rolled around empty of any black passengers. About 17,000 black riders found other means of transportation during the boycott.

The location where the speech was delivered (Washinton D.C.)

The Amazing Audience

of August 28th.

Attending Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech was a crowd of over 250,000 people. Consisting mainly of African Americans, this large crowd held signs and cheered for King, who made his speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. This was important to gain more support and awareness for the Civil Rights Movement.

A copy of the "I Have a Dream" speech

"I Have a Dream"

speech by M.L.K. Jr.

This famous speech, spoken in 1963 and written by Martin Luther King Jr., has multiple aspects that made it so amazing. It proves points such as what Abraham Lincoln mentioned in the Gettysburg Address, talking about how "100 years later, (after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed) the Negro still is not free." This quote from the speech shows King's knowledge of the fact that what Lincoln hoped for in the future of America has yet to become a reality. In a way, King's speech is calling for action to help America.

An example of how buses looked durning the Bus Boycott.

The Final Results

of the boycott.

One year later on December 20th, 1956, the Montgomery Bus Boycott came to a successful end after 382 days of boycotting. During this time, bus compaines lost thousands of dollars from the loss of passengers. Becasue of this, the supreme court ruled in favor the Montgomery Improvment Association (MIA) and ensured buses were no longer segregated. This movement gave power and encouragment to others in the South, leading to more boycotts towards improving the economy.

One of the many groups of angry white students terrorizing one of the nine African Americans

The Angry Mobs

of people Little Rock 9 faced.

During their time at Central High School, all 9 African American students endured insults and attacks from other white kids. For the entire school year they were pushed around and bullied during the days. Despite all this, the Little Rock 9 students braved through the year with courage, one of the main reason they're considered heros to many people.

The names and pictures of all 9 Little Rock black students.

The Little Rock 9

heros' names.

After the brave Little Rock 9 students completed their goals, their names were lost with that title. In some peoples eyes, they deserved more attention and recognization for their heroic and brave actions. They fought hard to help their communities despite most people not knowing even their first names.

A photo of Rosa Parks during the time of the boycott.

Rosa Parks

and how she helped the boycott.

Rosa Parks was an American activist, her decisions lighting up the idea of the Montogmery Bus Boycott.On December 1st, 1955, she was arrested for not giving up her seat on a bus to a white man who was left standing and was later bailed out of jail by E. D. Nixon. Rosa spoke that she did this because she was fed up with segregation and white people being "better" than African Americans.

The troops assisting the Little Rock 9 students.

The 1,000 Troops

sent to Little Rock.

Govenor Orval Faubus tried his best to keep the Little Rock 9 students out of Central High School. To accomplsih his goal, he used the Arkansas National Guard to step in the way of the students trying to enter. President Eisenhower saw this and orded the govenor to allow the Little Rock Nine kids into the school, but he continued to refused. Because of that, the president solved the situation by sending 1,000 troops to Little Rock so that just 9 students could attend their classes.

A photograph of Martian Luther King Jr.

The Speech Giver

Martian Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke with pride the day of his "I Have a Dream" speech. He was confident and assertive during his short time on stage, which was an amazing quality that affected how people viewed him. He was a well-admired man, his death bringing sadness and anger across the country. King's speech was inspiring and memorable to a lot of the people that listened, especially African Americans.