Chapter 1, The Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955-1956 Summary and Analysis

Bearing the Cross is a Pulitzer Prize winning book about Martin Luther King Jr. and his participation in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s . The author, David J. Garrow, is a well-respected educator and historian who does not just report on the facts of history, but has interviewed hundreds of King's friends and enemies in order to bring the readers a complete picture of the man, his struggle, and his legacy. Bearing the Cross is a recounting of history that is well worth a second look by every American.

Rosa Parks, a tailor's assistant at the Montgomery Fair department store, was asked to vacate her seat on a city bus in order to make room for a white passenger. Parks refused because she disagreed with the policy that...