Impacts
Cultural:
![Picture](/uploads/1/4/3/5/14356392/5768113.jpg?366)
Colvin and others practiced a new form of protest: non-violence. Peaceful protest became a critical tactic for the Civil Rights Movement. The Bus Boycott also helped other cities succeed because blacks showed peaceful protest worked.
“We believe in law and order. Don’t get panicky. Don’t do anything panicky at all. Don’t get your weapons. He who lives by the sword will perish by the sword. Remember that is what God said. We are not advocating violence." - Martin Luther King addresses a crowd after his home was bombed, pushing for non-violence even in the roughest of times.
“We believe in law and order. Don’t get panicky. Don’t do anything panicky at all. Don’t get your weapons. He who lives by the sword will perish by the sword. Remember that is what God said. We are not advocating violence." - Martin Luther King addresses a crowd after his home was bombed, pushing for non-violence even in the roughest of times.
Social:
Colvin was a critical plaintiff in the Supreme Court case Browder v. Gayle and as a result helped integrate public buses. The legal victory marked a major turning point in the black social struggle. The ruling and boycott changed everyday lives for blacks, showed that they could overcome injustice and propelled the modern Civil Rights Movement.
Colvin was a critical plaintiff in the Supreme Court case Browder v. Gayle and as a result helped integrate public buses. The legal victory marked a major turning point in the black social struggle. The ruling and boycott changed everyday lives for blacks, showed that they could overcome injustice and propelled the modern Civil Rights Movement.
Economic:
The Bus Boycott nearly broke the Montgomery bus company. Many white bus drivers lost their jobs and the company closed routes. The company lost $3,000 every day during the boycott because over 80% of their customers were black.
Political:
Claudette Colvin and the Montgomery Bus Boycott led to Martin Luther King’s career as a leader. When Colvin refused to give up her seat, black leaders including King came to her aid and contemplated starting a boycott. But in the end, leaders held off until Rosa Parks' arrest. The delay provided critical time to plan for a successful boycott.
"That switch [from Colvin to Parks] created a delay that allowed Martin Luther King Jr. to emerge as a leader. He most likely would not have led the bus boycott if it had occurred in the spring instead of the following winter. 'He might have ended up as just another Montgomery preacher,' says historian Douglas Brinkley." - From "10 Days that Changed History," The New York Times, By Adam Goodheart.
"That switch [from Colvin to Parks] created a delay that allowed Martin Luther King Jr. to emerge as a leader. He most likely would not have led the bus boycott if it had occurred in the spring instead of the following winter. 'He might have ended up as just another Montgomery preacher,' says historian Douglas Brinkley." - From "10 Days that Changed History," The New York Times, By Adam Goodheart.
Economic:
![Picture](/uploads/1/4/3/5/14356392/5211335.png?475)
Graph showing poverty levels. The number of black people under the poverty line decreases
after 1960, near the end of the Civil Rights Movement.
after 1960, near the end of the Civil Rights Movement.
The Civil Rights Movement greatly reduced the number of blacks living below poverty. Integration provided better opportunities for jobs and education.