Martin Luther King Jr. and his family eat their Sunday dinner after church on Nov. 8, 1964. During the boycott, King emerged as a powerful and inspirational leader. As news of the boycott spread, donations supporting those involved poured in and King's words were heard by millions. Eventually, after 12 months, a federal court ruled that laws requiring segregated buses were unconstitutional and, on Dec. 20, 1956, King and other civil rights leaders assumed seats on the first integrated bus in Montgomery's history.