This Day in History

Dec. 20, 1956: Montgomery Bus Boycott Prevails

Time Periods: Cold War: 1945 - 1960
Themes: African American, Civil Rights Movements, Democracy & Citizenship, Laws & Citizen Rights
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On Dec. 20, 1956 a federal ruling declared the Alabama laws requiring segregated buses to be unconstitutional.

Montgomery Boycott Ends | Zinn Education Project

African Americans boarding an integrated bus following the Supreme Court ruling, a result of the successful 381-day boycott of segregated buses. Photo by Don Cravens. Source: Time Life Pictures/Getty Images.

To learn more, we recommend Daybreak of Freedom: The Montgomery Bus Boycott, a documentary history of the boycott with more than one hundred original documents that create a comprehensive account of the year-long protest.

Find more resources below.

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Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

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Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott

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