This
paper describes the events leading up to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, setting it in a political and historical context.
From the
paper: The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a very significant event in the civil rights movement, which spanned the 1950's and 60's. Prior to the Boycott, Montgomery maintained a rigid pattern of bus
segregation. Bus drivers carried guns and had police power to rearrange seating. In 1945, Alabama passed a law (reproduced below) requiring that all bus companies under its jurisdiction actually enforce segregation.