Rachel Noel

ELED 3223
2/27/16
Dr. Rock
Rosa Parks
When we hear about Rosa Parks we are able to think back to the situation that
happened on the bus. But what else was going on in Rosas life? What was Rosa like
when she was younger? How was she a big impact during the civil rights movement? In
this paper, it will clearly demonstrate all of those questions.

Why We Know Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks was a civil rights activist who is known for not giving up her seat on a
bus to a white passenger in 1955. Rosa was leaving work and got on the bus on her way
home. Parks had realized that the bus driver was the same bus driver, James Blake, who
had kicked her off years before. The first time Rosa got kicked off the bus, she had paid
her fare at the front of the bus and was told that she had to enter through the back of the
bus, which she then refused to do. The next time Rosa was kicked off the bus was when
the bus was filling up with white passengers and eventually the bus driver had requested
that Rosa stand up to give one of the passengers her seat. When all of the other African
Americans stood up to give their seat up for the white passenger, Rosa decided to slide to
the window seat and did not get up. Parks did not think it was fair for her to have to give

her seat to someone and therefore did not stand up to do so. At this time, the police were
then called and Rosa was arrested for not giving up her seat.
Due to her decision, Rosa Parks had to go to trial and they deemed her guilty for
violating a state rule. Many people had shown up to her trial to support her and had all
made a pact to not ride any of the transportation unless an African American ran it. Many
people, up to 40,000, would walk to work instead, even if their commute was up to 20
miles long. This ended up being called the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This boycott lasted
for 381 days and is known to be one of the largest boycotts known, not to mention it
ended up being very successful. The boycott ended December 21st, 1956 because the U.S.
Supreme Court said that bus segregation was unconstitutional. Rosa was also arrested
weeks after this arrest. She had been organizing carpool rides for people during the
boycott and was arrested because of it. They claimed that the reason she was arrested was
because she was violating a law, which was organized boycotting. (BIOGRAPHY)
Not only was she arrested for this act, but 114 others were as well. Rosa Parks
was not the first person to be arrested for completing this act either. Claudette Colvin was
arrested for not giving up her seat on the bus as well. The leaders at the time were
planning on putting on a protest about this arrest; however, Colvin was pregnant so they
claim that she was not an appropriate symbol based upon this cause. This is why Rosa
Parks is most known for what she did and it goes to show that this did not only affect
Rosa, it affected many other people who felt the same way and who wanted to do
something about it.

Hardships Following

Following all of this, Rosa had a very hard time. She was fired from her job where she
worked at a department store and her husband was fired from his job as well. Her and her
husband, Raymond Parks, would get threatening phone calls and many other forms of
harassment following the boycott. Rosa and Raymond moved to Detroit where she got a
job in a U.S. congressional office. She continued being a part of the Civil Rights
movement by travelling to various places and spoke to many people. Rosa and Raymond
co-founded Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. This was to
motivate younger people and to help them to get to their highest potential. Students
participate in historical research by talking to historical leaders while also focusing on
where they are now and where they are going in the future. (Rosa Parks Biography)

Who is Rosa Parks?

Rosa Parks, formerly known as Rosa Louise McCauley, was born on February 4th,
1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama. She had always grown up with racial discrimination. For
example, the school that Rosa went to required that all African Americans walk to class,
but had bus transportation for the others such as the white students. When Rosa was
younger she had chronic illnesses, which stopped her from attending school often so her
mother home schooled her. Later on, Parks returned to school and attended Alabama
State Teachers College for Negroes, which was a school for high school students who
wanted to become teachers. When Rosa was in 11th grade, she left school to attend a
funeral and did not complete school after that. Rosa got married to Raymond Parks who
was a barber as well as being a part of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People. Rosa Parks received many awards such as the Presidential Medal of

Freedom from Bill Clinton and she was also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal,
which from Congress is the highest award. Not to mention, running alongside Rosa in
receiving this award is President Nelson Madela, which shows how incredible it was for
her to receive this award. In 1993, Rosa Parks was included in the National Womens
Hall of fame and the Southern Christian Leadership Council created an award about Rosa
called the Rosa Parks Freedom Award. These are just some of the awards given to Rosa
Parks among many. In addition, in 2013 there was a celebration to honor Rosa Parks 100th
anniversary of her birthday. During this time, there was a postage stamp that was released
to honor her and to honor the amazing legacy that she has left on all of us. One thing
Rosa Parks stated was, I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about
freedom and equality and prosperity for all people (Jarrett). This day of celebration of
Rosa did just that, honoring all that she has done. Not only did she have a stamp in honor
of her, there was also a statue that was created in Statuary Hall on this day. President
George W. Bush was the first person to request that this be done. She is the first African
American woman who is now honored in the Statuary Hall by having a bronze statue
created after her. Rosa was also mentioned in Times Magazine as one of the most
influential people of the 20th century. There is a museum that was built in Rosas honor
that is in Montgomery, Alabama. On top of all the awards that she has won, Rosa Parks
wrote many books, one being Rosa Parks: My Story, written by Rosa Parks including Jim
Haskins. Along with 3 other books Rosa has written, one was Dear Mrs. Parks: A
Dialogue With Todays Youth, which was written by Rosa Parks in addition to Gregory J.
Reed. This book won the NAACPs Image Award for Outstanding Literary work.
(BIOGRAPHY) (USA Today)

Civil Rights Movement and Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks was a big part of the Civil Rights movement. This movement was to
make it so that African Americans had equal opportunities as everyone else and that they
were not held back from doing anything that anyone else was able to do. The Civil Rights
movement really rose in the 1950s and 1960s but it lasted for much longer than that.
What really sparked the Civil Rights movement was the Brown vs. Board of Education of
Topeka, Kansas, which was about segregation in the schools, specifically the public
schools. The Civil Rights Movement was a time when many protests were going on and
would lead to bigger events. During the Civil Rights movement Rosa Parks would go
around and talk to people. She also teamed up with Martin Luther King Jr. from time to
time and would support everything that he did as well. Following the Brown vs. Board of
Education, Fred L. Shuttlesworth, Martin Luther King, and Charles K. Steele created the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference, where King was made the president. This
organization was one of the leading forces in the civil rights movement. It was primarily
focused on civil disobedience in the community as well as nonviolence. Many sources
say that Rosa was always very modest when it came to her position in the Civil Rights
movement. Rosa would never take any of the credit for what she did and always gave the
credit to the higher power for what she did that day on the bus. She has been called the
mother of the civil rights movement. (Digital Voice)

Conclusion
Unfortunately, Rosa Parks passed away in on October 24th, 2005 in Detroit Michigan,
however, that absolutely was not the last time we would hear about her. All in all, Rosa
Parks was and still is a very influential woman in history. She impacted our country in
many ways and is still recognized for all she did. From the various awards that she
received, to all of the lessons taught about her in elementary schools and beyond, and
even the names given to her such as the mother of the civil rights movement, it is safe
to say she will never be forgotten. Rosa Parks made a decision one day that has impacted
us all to this day and she will forever go down in history as one of the most influential
women.

Resources:

(1) S. (n.d.). BIOGRAPHY | Rosa parks. Retrieved March 01, 2016, from
http://www.rosaparks.org/biography/
(2) U. (2013). Rosa Parks to be honored with U.S. Capitol statue. Retrieved March 01,
2016, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/02/12/rosa-parks-capitolstatue/1913779/
(3) V. Jarrett. (n.d.). Honoring Rosa Parks on the 100th Anniversary of her Birth.
Retrieved March 01, 2016, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/02/04/rosaparks-stamp
(4) B. (n.d.). Rosa Parks Biography. Retrieved March 01, 2016, from
http://www.biography.com/people/rosa-parks-9433715
(5) Digital History. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2016, from
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2