Montogomery Boycott

1. Montgomery Boycott
Memoir by
Coretta Scott King
Prepared by :
Ms. Leena Sadeq

2. How can we CHANGE
society?

3. Background
The widow of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. shares her
memory of the beginning of
the 1955 bus boycott in
Montgomery, Alabama. She
recalls the anxiety King felt
as he took on the leader-
ship of the boycott and the
speech he gave that led that
city’s African Americans
toward a peaceful protest.

4. Historical Events In Memoirs
Memoirs often contain information about historical
events in which the writer was involved.
For example, in “Montgomery Boycott,” Coretta Scott
King shares her memory of the events that sparked
the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama.

5. I joined the boycott, but it meant I had to
leave home an hour earlier to get to work.
I’d heard reverend king preach about it,
and I knew I had to take part.
What kind of information this writer might be
able to provide about the historical event?
The passage shows that the speaker participated
in the Montgomery bus boycott.

6. Distinguish Fact from Opinion
Memoirs can offer an close view of the past through a
mixture of facts and opinions.
A fact is a statement that can be verified using a
reliable source, such as an encyclopedia.
An opinion is a personal belief that cannot be proved.
King often expresses opinions when she uses adjectives to
describe people or historical circumstances.

7. 1. The boycott lasted 381 days.
2.The boycott was the most exciting event in the
civil rights movement.
Fact
Opinion

8. 1. degrading adj. tending or intended to cause dishonor or
disgrace
2. boycott n. a form of protest in which a group stops using
a specific service or product in order to force a change
3. tactic n. a planned action or maneuver to reach a certain
goal
4. militant adj. aggressive or combative
5. perpetuation n. the act of continuing or prolonging
something
6. coercion n. the act of compelling by force or authority

9. A. This information helps readers understand the motivation for the
boycott: African Americans were forced to give up their seats to white
people (lines 7–9), buses sometimes drove off without blacks after
they paid their fare (lines 10–12), and white bus drivers called them
insulting names (lines 14–15). These details convey how abusive the
bus system was and help readers understand why change was needed.
B. Underline the answer from the book
C. To build an effective movement, King needed to overcome the
belief that churches should not be politically active (lines 55–61). By
doing so, he was able to bring ministers into the movement

10. D. The opinion in line 148— that fear was an invisible presence at
the meeting—is supported by the fact that proposals were made to
keep the MIA a secret society with no names mentioned (lines 149–
151) and the fact that Nixon said they had to decide whether to be
“fearless men or scared little boys” (lines 151–155)