Source: Narrated by Zach Lamb
[MUSIC PLAYING] Montgomery, Alabama is notable in the history of the African-American civil rights movement, because it's where the famous bus boycotts happened in 1955. But the civil rights movement involved more than bus boycotts and famous figures like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. The civil rights movements achievements and its ongoing struggles depended on local, ordinary people working hard to improve their own lives. Historians argue that the success of the civil rights movement was driven by multiple forces.
First, many African-Americans were increasingly frustrated that despite their sacrifices for the United States during World War 2, the nation was reluctant to extend them any greater rights. For example, as millions of white Americans moved to the suburbs, restrictive covenants and other forms of residential segregation denied African-Americans similar opportunities. Secondly, African-Americans began organizing to fight against these forms of discrimination.
World War 2 veterans, young people, and members of African-American churches joined these coalitions. Milestones like Jackie Robinson's successful integration of Major League Baseball further galvanized these organizing efforts. Third, local peoples work on behalf of civil rights could not have succeeded without assistance from regional and national organizations. The Montgomery bus boycotts are a case in point.
Rosa Parks was active in the local civil rights movement and also a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, also referred to as the NAACP. While local African-Americans, including many women, participated in the bus boycotts, their efforts were supported by the NAACP and other civil rights groups. And finally, the Brown versus Board of Education case and other desegregation cases reflect the importance of the federal court system in the civil rights struggle.
Civil rights cases often hinged upon a court's interpretation of the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause. Closed door legal proceedings and public protests in the streets affected the progress of the civil rights movement, initiating significant changes. In the story, Jewell watched the Brown decision unfold and expressed optimism about the future. But Jim Crow segregation did not go away overnight and civil rights remained an ongoing struggle.
Congratulations on completing this challenge. Next, we're moving on to the turbulent 1960s, featuring even more battles over civil rights and racial equality.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
