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| “To Redeem the Soul of America”： A New Study on the Montgomery Bus Boycott |
| Xie Guorong |
| (Department of History， East China Normal University， Shanghai 200241) |
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Abstract Local civil rights organizations and leaders in Montgomery， especially African American women's organizations and their leaders， played an important role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. As a newcomer， Martin Luther King， Jr. was accepted naturally by different groups because he had no ties to civil rights organizations in Montgomery. Moreover， he was not only an influential preacher in African American communities， but also a charismatic leader for his good education and oratory. As a result， King was elected as the leader of the Montgomery Improvement Association. Under his call， African Americans in Montgomery insisted on non-violent movement， linking their destiny closely to that of the oppressed peoples around the world. King claimed that the Montgomery Bus Boycott was an important part of the compaign against colonialism， imperialism， and racism worldwide. He shaped the boycott as a movement as “to redeem the soul of America”， injecting strong impetus into the civil rights movement and forcing the U.S. government to carry out civil rights reforms. In this sense， the Montgomery Bus Boycott opened a new chapter in the American civil rights movement.
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Received: 24 July 2023
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| [1] |
. [J]. , 2016, 0(2): 0-0. |
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2023, Vol. 62 
