Finally understanding the extent of blacks' commitment to their cause, supporters of segregation began to feel threatened by the boycotters. Because of African Americans' long-standing "property" status and the widely held belief that they are inferior, the white Southerner's unwavering faith in his ability to control blacks had never seen such a threat before. A rally to prevent integration organized by the Citizens' Council of Central Alabama in February 1956 introduced a flyer inspired by the Declaration of Independence and portrayed African Americans as bestial savages who would bring about the end of the civilization. The author distorts the opening words of the Declaration in an attempt to view whites as the “original” Americans with the right to “life, liberty and the prosecution of dead negroes.” This leaflet attempted to deny the high morale of African Americans and return power to white extremists by threatening to "abolish the Negro race" using "guns, bows and arrows, slings and knives." (Draft brochure). The use of threats and insults indicates that those threatened by the boycott have reached a point of despair caused by the persistent optimism and small successes of the boycotters. Before the Montgomery bus boycott, opponents of integration were openly confident in their supremacy and arrogant about their ability to maintain power. Although the denigration of African Americans in this document proves that their arrogance remains, it is clear that their confidence is waning. Like the rebels, the Montgomery bus boycott changed the mentality of white people