Montgomery Bus Boycott Mythbusters Quiz 1. African Americans waged legal battles against mistreatment on public transportation in which century? A. 19 th Century B. 20 th Century C. 18 th Century 2.Which of the following is true of Rosa Parks, the women who sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 by being arrested because she defied the law segregating the city s buses? A. She refused to give up her seat to a white man because she was tired. B. Her refusal to give up her seat on December 1, 1955 was her first act of resistance against segregated buses. C. As Secretary of the local NAACP chapter and leader of its Youth Group, she had an important history of activism before her decision started the bus boycott. D. At the time of this incident, she was an elderly seamstress who had never been politically active. 3. After Rosa Parks was arrested, the Montgomery Bus Boycott was first set in motion when: A. The Women s Political Council, with Jo Ann Robinson as president, distributed 35,000 leaflets urging 42,000 black residents of Montgomery to boycott public transportation B. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech to Montgomery s largest black congregation, urging that the buses be boycotted until the bus company agreed to integrate them. C. Civil rights lawyers from the Justice Department came to Montgomery and convinced prominent African American ministers to initiate the boycott. D. Leaders of Montgomery s black business community urged their employees not to ride the buses. Teaching for Change
4. The sacrifices to support the Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted: A. More than a year B. Six months C. Three months D. Nine months 5. The reason the Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted as long as it did is because: A. African American people in Montgomery, AL were well organized into committees B. The bus company really did not notice the loss of Black riders so they were in no rush to change policy C. Even after the bus company was ready to desegregate in April 1956, the local police and judges forced the bus company to continue to resist the boycotters demands D. Even though the bus company was losing money, it did not want to take leadership in creating social equity. E. A & C 6. The Montgomery Bus Boycott received financial and political support from: A. Black churches throughout the South B. Black and White activists from the North C. People from other countries like South Africa, India and England 7. How long did it take African-American residents of Montgomery to begin mobilizing for the Montgomery Bus Boycott? A. One week B. One month C. One day D. One year 8. Which of the following methods were used to undermine the Montgomery Bus Boycott? A. Black cab drivers were harassed and prosecuted for offering reduced fares B. Local leaders homes were firebombed C. Protestors were arrested and fined for involvement in the MBB Teaching for Change
9. True or False, Martin Luther King, Jr. and other MIA leaders went bar-hopping to reaffirm the Montgomery Bus Boycott? 10. During the MBB, African Americans in Montgomery traveled by all of the following means except? A. B. C. D. Metro Mule and horse drawn carriages Foot (walking) Private taxies 11. Which of the following individuals publicly took stands against segregated busing in Montgomery prior to the MBB? A. Claudette Colvin B. Jo Ann Robinson C. Vernon Jones D. Mary Louise Smith E. All of the above and more 12. True or false? Prior to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, buses were evenly divided in half, front for whites, rear for African Americans? This quiz is based on articles in the book Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching, published by Teaching for Change. For more information on visit www.civilrightsteaching.org Teaching for Change
Montgomery Bus Boycott Mythbusters Quiz Answers and More! 1. African Americans waged legal battles against mistreatment on public transportation in which century? A. 19 th Century B. 20 th Century C. 18 th Century D. all of the above African-Americans have always actively protested mistreatment on public transportation. The citizens of Montgomery, Alabama were not the first to take action against imposed conditions. One-hundred years before Rosa Parks decided to stay seated; another woman, Ida B. Wells took a stand against lynching, women s suffrage, and segregated transportation. She was not alone. Frederick Douglass was another vocal opponent of the segregated system. Widespread organizing led Congress to grant equal rights to Black citizens in public accommodations with the Civil Rights Act of 1875. However, the Supreme Court overturned this victory in 1883, declaring it unconstitutional. 2. Which of the following is true of Rosa Parks, the women who sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 by being arrested because she defied the law segregating the city s buses? A. She refused to give up her seat to a white man because she was tired. B. Her refusal to give up her seat on December 1, 1955 was her first act of resistance against segregated buses. C. As Secretary of the local NAACP chapter and leader of its Youth Group, she had an important history of activism before her decision started the bus boycott. D. At the time of this incident, she was an elderly seamstress who had never been politically active. At the time of the boycott, the 43-year-old Mrs. Parks had already had several run-ins with bus drivers because she refused to pay her money at the front of the bus and go to the back to get on. In fact, the driver on December 1, 1955 who called the police had thrown her off the bus in 1943 for refusing to enter by the back door. In addition to her NAACP activities, Parks had been involved in trying to desegregate Montgomery s schools and had attended an inter-racial meeting at Tennessee s Highlander Folk Center, an important adult education facility deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement.
3. After Rosa Parks was arrested, the Montgomery Bus Boycott was first set in motion when: A. The Women s Political Council, with Jo Ann Robinson as president, distributed 35,000 leaflets urging 42,000 black residents of Montgomery to boycott public transportation B. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech to Montgomery s largest black congregation, urging that the buses be boycotted until the bus company agreed to integrate them. C. Civil rights lawyers from the Justice Department came to Montgomery and convinced prominent African American ministers to initiate the boycott. D. Leaders of Montgomery s black business community urged their employees not to ride the buses. The crucial role of women, grassroots organizers, and rank-and-file citizens in the civil rights movement are often overlooked. Under the leadership of Ms. Jo Ann Robinson, a college English teacher, Montgomery s Women s Political Committee began organizing against segregated buses in 1949. It built a city-wide network of over 300 supporters that made it possible to organize the black citizens quickly after Rosa Parks was arrested. NAACP leader and labor organizer E.D. Nixon bailed Parks out of jail and convened a meeting of ministers at the end of the first day of the boycott to provide leadership. At that meeting, the ministers formed the Montgomery Improvement Association and elected the 27-year-old Martin Luther King Jr. as its leader. During the 381-day boycott, thousands of Blacks walked to work. The movement also depended on the many people who organized fundraising activities, car pools, and coordinated taxi service. King s oratory and leadership helped sustain the movement, but its victory was built on the daily contributions of many unsung activists. 4. The sacrifices to support the MBB lasted: A. More than a year B. Six months C. Three months D. Nine months The MBB lasted 381 days to be exact. 5. The reason the MMB lasted as long as it did is because: A. African American people in Montgomery, AL were well organized into committees B. The bus company really did not notice the loss of Black riders so they were in no rush to change policy C. Even after the bus company was ready to desegregate in April 1956, the local police and judges forced the bus company to continue to resist the boycotters demands D. Even though the bus company was losing money, it did not want to take leadership in creating social equity. E. A & C The bus company as well as the Montgomery business community took a huge financial loss due to the boycott. Downtown businesses were becoming frustrated with the boycott, which was costing them
thousands of dollars because blacks were less likely to shop in stores. Although they were as opposed to integration as the next white Montgomery resident, store owners realized that the boycott was bad for business and therefore wanted it to end. Financially hurt by the boycott, Montgomery s bus company planned to desegregate in April of 1956 in an attempt to minimize further debt, but was forced by local police and judges to continue segregating. 6. The MBB received financial and political support from: A. Black churches throughout the South B. Black and White activists from the North C. People from other countries such as South Africa, India and England The MBB was supported both nationally and internationally. Churches nationwide raised funds and even sent shoes to Montgomery to aid and support residents in their protest. It was known worldwide that this boycott would benefit more than blacks in Montgomery. The MBB ensured visibility of the racial injustice enrooted in American law and custom. 7. How long did it take African-American residents of Montgomery to begin mobilizing for the MBB? A. One week B. One month C. One day D. One year That night of Rosa Park s arrest, Jo Ann Robinson put plans for a one-day boycott into action. The Women s Political Council mimeographed handouts urging blacks to stay off the city buses on Monday, when Parks' case was due to come up. The next day, Friday morning between classes, Robinson and two of her students distributed the anonymous fliers throughout Montgomery. Support for the boycott was further intensified that weekend by Sunday church sermons and local black owned paper, the Montgomery Advertiser. This monumental outreach effort was done prior to the advent of cell phones or email. 8. Which of the following methods were used to undermine the MBB? A. Black cab drivers were harassed and prosecuted for offering reduced fares B. Local leaders homes were firebombed C. Protestors were arrested and fined for involvement in the MBB
The Montgomery Bus Boycott followed the credo of nonviolent resistance, even in the face of a police crackdown and attempts by white supremacists to undermine the protest. Montgomery police threatened to arrest taxi drivers giving discount rates to the black riders, and when the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) arranged carpools, the police systematically harassed drivers, arresting them for allegedly going too fast or too slow. Meanwhile, the boycott leaders squared off at the bargaining table with the local officials. The MIA presented its modest demands for bus seating by race, with no mobile area, and "Negro routes" with black drivers. They were met with unconditional refusal. The MIA was hopeful that the plan would be accepted and the boycott would end, but the bus company refused to consider it. In addition, city officials struck a blow to the boycott when they announced that any cab driver charging less than the 45-cent minimum fare would be prosecuted. Since the boycott began, the Black cab services had been charging Blacks only 10 cents to ride, the same as the bus fare, but this service would be no more. Under a 1921 ordinance, 156 protestors were arrested for "hindering" a bus, including King. He was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine or serve 386 days in jail. The move backfired by bringing national attention to the protest. 9. True or False, Martin Luther King Jr. went bar hopping to reaffirm the boycott? True. Whites tried to end the boycott in every way possible. One often-used method was to try to divide the black community. On January 21, 1956, the City Commission met with three non-mia black ministers and proposed a "compromise," which was basically the system already in effect. The ministers accepted, and the commission leaked false reports to a newspaper that the boycott was over. The MIA did not even hear of the compromise until a Black reporter in the North who received a wire report phoned to ask if the Montgomery blacks had really settled for so little. By that time it was Saturday night. On Sunday morning Montgomery newspapers were going to print the news that the boycott was over and the city's blacks were going to believe it. To prevent this from happening, some MIA officials went bar-hopping to spread the word that the stories were a hoax and that the boycott was still on. 10. During the MBB, African Americans in Montgomery traveled by all of the following means except? A. Metro B. Mule and horse drawn carriages C. Foot (walking) D. Private taxies Blacks traveled through "private taxi" systems, carpooling, and many, walking. Some churches purchased station wagons, usually called "rolling churches," to be used in the private taxi service. There were 325 private taxis, 43 dispatch stations and 42 pickup sites.
11. Which of the following individuals publicly took stands against segregated busing in Montgomery prior to the MBB? A. Claudette Colvin B. Jo Ann Robinson C. Vernon Jones D. Mary Louise Smith E. All of the above and more Many people whose names are not readily known or celebrated, protested segregated buses. In 1949, black professor Jo Ann Robinson absentmindedly sat at the front of a nearly empty bus, then ran off in tears when the bus driver screamed at her for doing so. In the early 1950s Vernon Johns tried to get other blacks to leave a bus in protest after he was forced to give up his seat to a white man. Claudette Colvin, 15, was arrested early in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat. 12. True or false? Prior to the MBB, buses were evenly divided in half, front for whites, rear for African Americans? False. There was no ending point for white passengers. The start of the colored section was determined by the number of whites on board. The more whites that boarded, the further back the white section extended. There was no ending point. The more crowded the bus became with white patrons, the further the bus driver extended the white section in accommodation, regardless of the discomfort to Black riders. This quiz is based on the book Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching, published by Teaching for Change. For more information on this resource visit www.civilrightsteaching.org