Chapter 5-6: The Boycott Gains Momentum

Think 1: How did Police Commissioner Sellers try to discourage people from participating
in the bus boycott? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

They threatened them to discourage people from participating in the bus boycott. “The boycott
was still in its first week when Police Commissioner Clyde Sellers threatened to arrest any taxi
driver who charged less than the minimum forty-five-cent fare”(Freedman 49). This tells me that
Police Commissioner Sellers tried to discourage people from participating in the bus boycott by
threatening an arrest to anyone who charged someone less than forty-five cents.

Think 2: What strategies did ministers use to keep up bus boycotters’ spirits? Cite
evidence from the text to support your answer.

They volunteered their cars as transportation to motivate others to volunteer theirs, and keep up
everyone’s spirit for the boycott. “King announced that the city’s black ministers would be willing
to drive their own cars. After a pause, members of the audience began to raise their hands. Jo
Ann Robinson volunteered to drive her car, the one she had used to deliver handbills
announcing the boycott.(Freedman 51). This tells me that King announced about the ministers’
volunteers to drive their car as transportation for them, which motivated others to volunteer, and
keep up their spirits.

Think 3: Why did King’s father have mixed feelings about King’s participation in the bus
boycotts? Explain, using evidence from the text.

“In the past, Martin Luther King, Sr., had been an outspoken campaigner for civil rights, but now
he was terrified at what might happen to his son and his family”(Freedman 69). This tells me
that Martin Luther King Sr. had once been a civil rights activist like Martin Luther King Jr. but he
didn't want his family to be affected by the boycott.

Think 4: How did boycotters feel about being arrested? Explain, using evidence from the
Text.

Think 5: What specific events occurred as a result of the actions of the local officials? Cite
evidence from the text to support your answer.

Think 6: What was the purpose of segregation? How did the official explanation for
segregation—separate but equal—differ from King’s understanding of the true motivation
for a segregated society?