A federal desegregation order takes effect in Montgomery, ending the 381-day bus boycott; the city's buses are integrated the next morning.
At a Glance
- Date
- 20 December 1956
- Location
- Montgomery, Alabama
- Key people
- Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks
- Category
- Civil Rights Movement
- Source
- Browder v. Gayle enforcement (1956) · Stanford King Institute
What It Meant Then
It delivered the movement's first major victory through sustained nonviolent protest.
What It Means Now
The boycott's success established the template for the campaigns that followed.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “The Montgomery Bus Boycott Ends.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-montgomery-bus-boycott-ends/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). The Montgomery Bus Boycott Ends. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-montgomery-bus-boycott-ends/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “The Montgomery Bus Boycott Ends.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-montgomery-bus-boycott-ends/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.