Question

By now, it was late Thursday evening. Nixon and the Durrs left and went home. Attorney Fred Gray, meanwhile, had learned about Parks's arrest, had spoken with Rosa, and agreed to represent her. Then he called Jo Ann Robinson, whom he knew from the Claudette Colvin case, and Robinson, in turn, notified several fellow teachers who were members of the Women's Political Council. "It was all happening quickly," Gray recalled. "The mood was electric. This was the beginning of the Montgomery Bus Boycott." –Freedom Walkers, Russell Freedman. How do key details in the excerpt develop the idea that individuals contributed to the boycott in different ways?

Answer 1

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a collaborative effort with pivotal roles played by Rosa Parks, Fred Gray, Jo Ann Robinson, E.D. Nixon, and Martin Luther King Jr., reflecting a community unified in its fight against segregation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a significant event in the Civil Rights Movement, and it was the collective efforts of many individuals that contributed to its success. The roles played were varied, from Rosa Parks' act of defiance, to Fred Gray providing legal representation, and Jo Ann Robinson and E.D. Nixon's organizational strategies. The details in the excerpt from 'Freedom Walkers' by Russell Freedman highlight these different contributions, emphasizing the cooperative nature of the boycott that relied not just on leading figures, but on the participation and support of the entire African American community in Montgomery.

After Rosa Parks was arrested, the NAACP, under the leadership of figures like E.D. Nixon, mobilized to secure her release and used her case to challenge segregation. Concurrently, the Women's Political Council, already aware of the issues of segregation, rapidly organized a bus boycott. This was a strategic response, leveraging the economic power of the Black community, which constituted the majority of the bus system's patrons. The attention the boycott received also helped galvanize broader support, with others like Martin Luther King Jr. stepping in to lead the newly formed Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), emphasizing community activism and peaceful protest.

The prolonged commitment of the Black residents of Montgomery, who walked and organized alternate transportation for over a year, showcases the grassroots nature of the effort. The unity and resilience of the community were instrumental in sustaining the Montgomery Bus Boycott until it achieved victory with the desegregation of the Montgomery bus system following the ruling in Browder v. Gayle.