The Montgomery Bus Boycott: Civil Rights Activist

Civil rights are defined as the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality, and civil rights are an important part of everyone 's everyday life. From The Little Rock Nine to The Bus Boycott, those who are interested in equality have been fighting for civil rights for everyone. John Lewis was a civil rights activist in 1960 and he is still fighting for equality today. As a result of John Lewis, people had a voice they could listen to and preach for.

During John Lewis’s early life, the Montgomery Bus Boycott inspired him to get into the civil rights movement. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest based off of Rosa Parks refusing to get up for a white person. She was arrested and put into jail; her arrests sparked the

He was called “one of the most courageous persons the civil rights movement ever produced,”(Roll Call Magazine). When he was a student at Fisk University, John Lewis participated in the freedom rides. In 1963, he was named one of the Big Six leaders in the civil rights movement. Also in 1963, he was a keynote speaker at the historic March on Washington. In 1964, he helped organize voter registration drives during the Mississippi Freedom Summer. From 1963 to 1966 he was named chairman of the SNCC. What later came known to be Bloody Sunday, on March 7, 1965 John Lewis and Hosea Williams led over 500 peaceful protesters over the Norman Pettus Bridge. The protesters intent was to walk from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights. While crossing the bridge the protesters were brutally beaten by the Alabama State Troopers. Even when John Lewis was still young, he was a nationally recognized

When he was still with the SNNC (student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) he helped organize student activism witch included sit-ins and other activities. As previously stated, John Lewis and Hosea Williams organized the march over the Norman Pettus Bridge. Although the march was not successful, the march affected the Civil Rights Movement because it was spread all throughout the papers. With all the attention and the new name of “Bloody Sunday”, even though the march failed the message was still sent out. Bloody Sunday helped pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965. After leaving the SNNC John Lewis joined the VEP (voter education project). He helped the VEP change the political environment by adding nearly four million minority voters. In 1977 he was appointed by Jimmy Carter to direct more than 250,000 volunteers of ACTION, the federal volunteer agency. He was working with the VEP until 1981 when he was elected into the city council. In 1986 he was elected into Congress and is still serving as the representative of Georgia’s fifth district. Today he still helps people who are being discriminated against as a member of