Through most of America’s history, African-Americans have enjoyed fewer rights and freedoms than White Americans. In the 1900’s, a practice called “segregation” was common in America, particularly in the Southern United States. Segregation simply means “separation.” Schools, restaurants, bathrooms, and even public buses were segregated. African-Americans went to different schools, ate at different restaurants, went to different bathrooms, and were forced to obey rules on buses that required them to give up their seats for White passengers. “Separate but Equal,” were the words that justified segregation, but of course, “separate but equal” really meant that the White Americans would have many advantages over African-Americans.

In 1955, Rosa Parks had had enough. She was riding on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama, when the driver ordered her to give up her seat to a White passenger. Parks, however, refused, and was arrested. She was ordered to pay $14 in fines because she broke the law. African-Americans in Montgomery had also had enough. Led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the community banded together and staged a powerful boycott that lasted 381 days! A boycott is a form of protest in which a group refuses to buy the services of the company or organization that is the subject of the protest. The boycott worked! Not only did the companies that operated the buses lose money, but the United States Supreme Court ruled that Montgomery’s bus laws were illegal. Just nine years later, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed making segregation illegal throughout the United States.