How did the tactics of the student protesters from SNCC differ from those of the boycotters in Montgomery?

The tactics employed by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) differed from those used in the Montgomery Bus Boycott in several key ways:

• Direct Action vs. Grassroots Organizing:
• SNCC: The SNCC, established in the early 1960s, focused on direct action and grassroots organizing. They engaged in activities such as sit-ins, freedom rides and voter registration campaigns aimed at challenging segregation and racial injustice. SNCC members actively participated in nonviolent protests to bring attention to civil rights issues.
• Montgomery Bus Boycott: The Montgomery Bus Boycott, which took place in 1955-1956, was a year-long protest sparked by Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. This protest relied heavily on economic boycotts, urging African Americans to refuse to use the segregated bus system as a means of exerting economic pressure to bring about change.
• Leadership and Organization:
• SNCC: SNCC operated as an organization led primarily by young activists, including students from various colleges and universities. It focused on empowering local communities and individuals to mobilize and effect change at the grassroots level.
• Montgomery Bus Boycott: The Montgomery Bus Boycott was largely organized by established leaders of the African American community, including civil rights figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Women's Political Council, and local church leaders. The leadership structure was more hierarchical compared to the decentralized nature of SNCC.
• Scope and Focus of Activism:
• SNCC: SNCC's activism extended beyond a single issue (like bus segregation in Montgomery) to encompass broader civil rights goals. Their efforts included desegregation in various areas, fighting for voting rights, and challenging systemic racial discrimination across the South.
• Montgomery Bus Boycott: The focus of the Montgomery Bus Boycott was specific to desegregating the bus system in Montgomery, Alabama. It was a targeted effort against racial segregation on public transportation within that city.

While both the SNCC and the Montgomery Bus Boycott aimed to challenge racial segregation and advance civil rights, their approaches, leadership structures, and the scope of their activism differed, reflecting the evolution and diversity of strategies within the broader civil rights movement.