On the contrary, its citizens viewed her as an innocent,
hardworking woman who had been mistreated. Her humiliation became
their own.
Spontaneous protest meetings occurred all across Montgomery, and
the idea of retaliating against the entire system by conducting a
bus boycott took hold. Almost immediately, the call for a black
boycott of Montgomery buses spread throughout the community, and
car pools were quickly organized to help people in getting to and
from their employment. Whites refused to believe that the black
community could either organize or sustain such a campaign.
Nevertheless, Montgomery buses were running half
empty and all white.
The man chosen to lead the Montgomery bus boycott was a
young Baptist minister named Martin Luther King, Jr. He and
ninety others were indicted under the provisions of an anti-union
law which made it illegal to conspire to obstruct the operation
of a business. King and several others were found guilty, but
they appealed their case. As the boycott dragged on month after
month, Montgomery gained national prominence through the mass
media, and King quickly gained a national reputation.
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