Montgomery Bus Boycott

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Racial segregation is the separation of African Americans with White Americans in public areas such as restaurants, schools, cinemas, hotels, trains or buses.
Racial Segregation was established after the American Civil war (1861-1865). The Jim Crow laws were introduced in the south of the USA encouraging segregation as an anti African American legislation.


The Montgomery Bus Boycott is a social and political campaign that started in 1955 in the city of Montgomery, Alabama. This boycott intended* to oppose the racial segregation in public transports. Rosa Parks, an African American woman refused to give up* her seat* in a bus. She was then arrested. The boycott lasted* from december 1, 1955 to december 21, 1956. It stopped with the declaration made by the Supreme Court, declaring the racial segregation in Alabama buses anti-consitutional.


  

In the Montgomery buses, the four rows* in the front* of the bus were reserved to White people. Black people had to sit in the back* of the bus. However, they could sit in the middle of the bus until a white people needed the seat.
This day of december 1, 1955, the bus was full*. The bus driver asked to four black people to give up their seat in order* white people could sit. The three others moved but she didn't. The bus driver called the police and she was arrested.

                    Vocabulary                       

• To intend: avoir l'intention de           
• To give up: abandonné, renoncer à
• a seat: un siége                                 
• to last: durer                                       
• a row: une rangée                             
• the front: l'avant                                  
• the back: l'arrière                               
• full: rempli                                            
• in order: afin que                                

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