How Important Was Martin Luther King to the Success of the Civil Rights Movement

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat to a white person. Rosa Parks is quoted as saying, "I thought about Emmett Till, and I could not go back. My legs and feet were not hurting, that is a stereotype. I paid the same fare as others, and I felt violated." Her act of civil disobedience led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the emergence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as a powerful leader in the fight for civil rights, all powerful symbols of the civil rights movement. (Crowe, n.d.)

Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat at the ‘colored section’ inside the bus to a white passenger, and this went against the customs at the time. As a result of the arrest, Montgomery black community initiated a bus boycott that lasted for more than a year.

Because of the outcome of the Brown case a lot of African Americans took matter into their own hands and wanted to end forms of racial segregation. December 1st, 1955 Rosa Parks, a black seamstress and a NAACP activist denied giving up her seat to a white man. This caused mayhem and sparked a bus boycott due to the fact that Rosa Parks got arrested for not wanting to get up. This was a tactic that the civil rights movement leaders used to stop racial discrimination between blacks and whites in the United States. After more than a year of conflict, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the complete desegregation of Montgomery buses. (Hewitt and Lawson

They saw how unfair society was for African-Americans. Her refusal to clear the seat started a revolution against segregation. Her small peaceful resistance to the law brought national press attention to the matter. This lead to the boycott of public buses led by Martin Luther King Junior. The Supreme Court declared the segregation on the bus unconstitutional. It was a peaceful resistance that changed American society, making it easier for people of all colors to live a free, happy life. Her peaceful resistance was one of the largest reason for the Civil Rights movement, giving civil rights to millions of

Martin, born 1929 in Atlanta, lived his early years on the streets of Sweet Auburn, a neighborhood home to some of the most affluent and prosperous African-Americans in America then. He was raised in a loving Christian middle-class family, who were dedicated members of the community. His mother, Alberta Williams King, was the daughter of Rev. A. D. Williams, who was among the most prominent black ministers of his time, and his father, Martin Luther King Sr., was a devout Baptist minister of the local church, Ebenezer Baptist, who won great respects among both blacks and whites. This secure and comfortable upbringing that his parents provided, however, could not draw King’s attention away from the racism in the world. He was aware of this problem from a very young age, and was angered by the humiliation, prejudice, and discrimination that he, his family, and other

Rosa was arrested for not letting a white man sit in her seat. After Rosa was arrested one of her good friends named Edgar Dixon started to send out newspaper articles about Rosa’s arrest. The articles stated that any African American people could join a boycott where none of them would ride the city buses until they would stop segregation. This boycott lasted 381 days before the Supreme Court upheld the segregation on buses and other items like the drinking fountains. The Supreme Court came to a conclusion that Rosa was indeed innocent and would be fined 14 dollars. Rosa’s contribution to the bus boycott was a major part in the ending of segregation. Even though Rosa wasn’t the only one to get arrested for not letting a white man or women sit in their seat. Rosa was able to actually put an end to some of the segregation

Between 1953 and his premature death on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr., challenged the systemic prejudice of white America that perpetuated the poverty of most African Americans. King succeeded in the challenge of trying to circulate positive news coverage for views that challenged those of the news media and mainstream America by appealing to the sympathetic conscience of white America through nonviolent protest and rhetoric. He critiqued the social spaces where cultures meet, struggle, and clash with each other while envisioning integrated social spaces which he could positively affirm. Martin Luther King forced America to confront its painful racial legacy by provoking social change through his nonviolent philosophy and ideals of liberty, justice, and equality, thus highlighting the riddles of poverty and socioeconomic inequality. King was governed by nonviolent principles and a holistic understanding of the unique qualities of the influential importance of participation and rhetoric, and his religious influences.

One evening as Rosa Parks got on the bus and sat down a white man told her to get up and move to the back of the bus, Parks was tired and her feet hurt from working all day, she told him no and that day was the day that all black equal rights was tested. “Many of the most significant decisions influencing not only the boycott, but also the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, were made behind the scenes between the time of Parks’ arrest late that Thursday and the historic flood of events the following Monday” (MontgomeryBoycott). That day sparked a social change in history and the civil rights movement that was happening at the time. It was a perfect time for leaders and the NAACP to get involved and make their voices be heard in this issue. There was boycotts against the Montgomery Bus system which led many blacks forced not to ride the bus until the equal rights of blacks are changed. Many whites picked up their help for they needed them to work on days, and many black taxis charged little to transport them to work and back. The boycott and other situations that happened at the time was to end segregation and make sure equal rights was given to

“Another Negro Woman has been arrested and put in jail because she refused to give up her seat.” This quote was made by the Women’s Political Council telling all Blacks that because an incident occurred with a Black woman, no Blacks could ride buses to work or school. Rosa Parks is one of the most influential African American in history by casually sitting on the bus along with the color of her skin. After Parks name was thrown under the bus by the public, people her kind found her to be right and wanted her to fight for what she wanted. During the Civil Rights movement, Blacks and Whites were separated on every bus.

In Montgomery, Alabama, on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus set to a white man after a long day of work. Parks defied a city law that stated that if there were no more seats for a white person to sit, an African American was to give up theirs. If an African American passenger refused to give up their seat, the bus driver had the authority to decline service and call the constabulary. Police arrested Parks at the scene and charged her with violation of Chapter 6, Section 11, of the Montgomery City Code. She was released later the night of her arrest. The evening of her arrest, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, arranged plans to organize a boycott of the Montgomery city buses. The African American community was to not ride the buses, but walk or ride a bike to wherever they had to do. On the day of Park’s trial, December 5, 1955, as a protest , people were to stay home from work and school, take a cab, or walk to work. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was an impactful success. The 381 day protest came to a rest on December 20,1956. This was the start of African Americans gaining more freedom. The government and busing system lost thousands of dollars from not having crowded buses full of riders. “Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome”, (Rosa

Word of what Parks had done spread around town quickly, and most of the black community started a boycott on the Montgomery buses the day of Parks’ trial. One of the lawsuits that followed soon after eventually made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional, and the law was repealed. Rosa Parks, just one individual citizen, helped spark the civil rights movement by disobeying an unjust

Although the Brown v Board of Education Supreme Court decision was the early opening of the Civil Rights Movement, the second-hand key player of the revolution toward equal opportunities was Rosa Parks. On December 1st, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Parks refused to give up her seat that was located in the front of a bus for a white passenger who clearly had the capability to stand (Brunner 1). Her bravery to not surrender her seat for another individual just because of the contrast in their skin color was admired by many, however, she was soon accused of breaking a segregation law according to the state’s legislation at the time. Due to her choice to rise against the social norms and the public’s unwillingness to hear her speak for

Rosa Park played an important role in the civil right movement. Her bravery and determination to prove that she didn’t do anything wrong triggered a protest that promoted a boycott of the city bus line. The women’s political asked all the African American to not ride the buses. Which caused many of the buses to not work and damaged the bus company’s finances. The U.S. Supreme Court declared segregation on Montgomery buses unconstitutional on Nov. 13, 1956. The boycotters returned to the buses on Dec. 21, 1956, ending the segregation on public buses. Rosa Parks did not only help the African American people, she also helped women and girls to stand up for what they believe is

Segregation was a way of life everywhere across the fifty states. Martin Luther King Jr. saw this problem and vowed to fix it. He gave speeches, marched through Selma, and advocated that more black people take to the streets in peace rather than in hate. Martin Luther King, Jr was a great organizer of people and led many marches to make the voice of racial inequality heard throughout the land. His actions inspired others such as Rosa Parks. Parks is most famously known to have refused to move for a white passenger. Her action, caused a bus boycott for a little over a year. This hurt the bus company's tremendously and sent them a message, "listen to us." After a year of protesting, the bus companies stopped making black passengers move to the back of the bus for white passengers. Rosa Parks civil disobedience changed

On a chilly December morning in 1955, Rosa Parks, an African American seamstress, was sitting in her seat, which was located in the front of the City Bus. She was tired, and just getting off of work. She decided to sit at the fifth row, which was the beginning of the “colored section,” towards the front of the bus with three other black males. The front couple of seats were reserved for whites at all times, and when all of the front seats were taken, the blacks would keep getting pushed further towards the rear of the bus. James Blake, a Caucasian man whom was the bus driver, stepped up to Ms.Parks, and demanded her to relocated further in the rear of the bus. Believe it or not, more than seventy-five percent of the city’s bus riders were black. The three black men complied, while Parks stood her ground. This event was named the, “Montgomery Bus Boycott,” which obviously took place in Montgomery, Alabama.