The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a seminal event in the Civil Rights Movement that took place in Montgomery, Alabama, from December 1955 to December 1956. The boycott was sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks, a black woman who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus to a white passenger on December 1, 1955. Her act of civil disobedience ignited a wave of protests and led to the emergence of a young pastor named Martin Luther King Jr. as a leader in the movement.

The boycott was organized by the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), which was led by King. African American residents of Montgomery refused to ride the city's buses in protest of segregated seating and mistreatment by white bus drivers. The boycott lasted for 381 days and was a test of endurance for the black community, who relied heavily on public transportation.

The boycott was successful in bringing national attention to the issue of segregation and discrimination on public transportation. In November 1956, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Browder v. Gayle that segregated seating on buses was unconstitutional, leading to the desegregation of public transportation in Montgomery.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott is considered a key turning point in the Civil Rights Movement, demonstrating the power of nonviolent resistance and inspiring similar protests across the South. Rosa Parks became known as the "mother of the Civil Rights Movement," and Martin Luther King Jr. rose to prominence as a leader in the struggle for racial equality.