Rosa Parks And The Montgomery Bus Boycott

Four years later, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. In response to Rosa’s arrest, the black community of Montgomery, Alabama established a boycott, which lasted for over a year.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, one of the leaders of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People [NAACP] refused to give up her seat to a white person on a segregated city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, despite being reprimanded by the driver (Schulke 166). Montgomery, Alabama was known for its terrible treatment of blacks. The buses in particular had been a source of tension between the city and black citizens for many years (Schulke, 167). As a result of refusing to give up her seat, Rosa Parks was arrested. Rosa Parks' popularity among the black community, proved to be the spark that ignited the non-violent Civil Rights Movement (Norrell 2).

As a few white passengers boarded the bus and the white sections were already full so the driver shouted back at four black people including Rosa Parks “Move y'all, I want those two seats”. As this demand was made by the driver 3 of the bus riders obeyed to what was shouted back, however Rosa Parks remained in her seat and was determined not to move. She was arrested following the bus drivers order and fined ten dollars. This, however small incited a great wave of bus boycotts which in Montgomery black people chose not to ride the bus for a period of 381 days. This still to date is known as the moment in which the civil rights movement started to gain headway. It was the will of one woman who decided it was time for black people to take a stand and from this point on Martin Luther King was assigned to take this boycott on. Although he was assigned to take this on people also felt as he was young, fresh and people had not formulated enough of an opinion of him, there was little room for him to be hated yet so he posed as the right figure to lead this. After the many days of boycotting the case of this transport issue in Alabama went to the Supreme Court. Here it was decided that segregation was declared as unconstitutional so segregation by law was no

The Montgomery Bus Boycott began with the public arrest of an African American woman and civil rights activist named Rosa Parks. As stated in Document A,”Rosa Parks boarded a city bus and sat down in the closest seat. It was one of the first rows of the section where blacks were not supposed to sit… The bus driver told Rosa Parks that she would have to give up her seat to a white person. She refused and was arrested.” Rosa’s arrest sparked a number of radical events that fought against racial inequality and segregation over the span of thirteen months. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was successful because it led to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that racial segregation among public transportation (especially buses) was unconstitutional. The Montgomery

In December of 1955, Rosa Parks sat in the front of the bus and refused to give up her seat to a white male. She was later arrested and put in jail. This caused the black people of Montgomery to initiate a boycott, the refusal to use the services of the bus company. They did this in order to gain

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.

The event that started the boycott was when Rosa Park refused to move from her seat to give it to a white passenger on a city bus. This was significant because African Americans were still required to sit in the back while the whites sat in the front of the bus. As a result, Rosa Park was arrested and fined. Although Parks was not the first, it was her arrest that lead to a protest against segregation since she was dignified and non violent. Rosa Parks’s arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, during which blacks refused to ride the buses in protest over the bus system’s policy of racial segregation.

Civil Disobedience is the act of purposely opposing and breaking a law that has been created by the government. When one hears the word "disobedience", one pulls a negative connotation from it; however, Civil Disobedience can sometimes lead to great and immense positive change that can benefit society as a whole. Two wonderful examples of this can be seen in Rosa Parks' refusal to relinquish her seat to a white man, and in MLK'S "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" where he states why he and his fellow marchers must continue to practice Civil Disobedience and to march despite being told they would be arrested if they did so.

Another significant event was the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-6, which was sparked by Rosa Parks, a member of the NAACP, and highly respected in the local community. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white man when the bus driver demanded it. She was thrown off

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

It was December 1, 1955 when Rosa Parks boarded the bus and sat in the section labeled "whites only". She was ordered to get up so a white man could sit down, but she refused. She was arrested for not getting up. Because of her arrest, a 381 day protest led by Martin Luther King was started. "... a court case that took Alabama's discriminatory laws all the way to the U.S Supreme Court," as Prerana Korpe states in Rosa Parks and Civil Disobedience. This shows how serious Rosa Parks arrest was because her case went all the way to the U.S Supreme Court. Boycotting ended as soon as the bus segregation was declared unconstitutional. Rosa Parks said, "I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prospeirty for all people." This shows how Rosa Parks wanted people to view her. The peaceful 381 day protest led by Matin Luther King had positively impacted a free society because the bus segregation ended

“Jim Crow” laws dictated that a black person must surrender their seat to a white person if there were no other seats available, and stand at the back of the bus. In December 1955; Rosa Parks refused to do this, and was arrested and fined $10. Her friends and family, led by Martin Luther King (who would later become leader of the Civil Rights Movement), immediately started a twenty-four hour bus boycott in response, and found it so successful that it was decided they would continue until the bus company agreed to seat customers on a first-come basis. Many black people became involved with the boycott, and as black passengers made up 75% of the bus company’s business it proved to be enormously damaging. The boycott attracted more black people to the civil rights movement.

During this time segregation was enforced greatly by the government and citizens. Many African Americans were tired of being discriminated against and decided to take a stand for their rights. Many African Americans did this by using white only restrooms or white only restaurants. King started to stand up for his rights when African Americans, like Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks, were being thrown in jail for sitting at the front of the bus when they were only allowed to sit or stand in the back of the bus. On the night Rosa Parks got arrested the head of the local NAACP met with King and other local civil rights leaders to plan a bus boycott in Montgomery. King was elected to lead the boycott because he was young, had good connections with people, and had a college degree. In King's first speech that he gave to the NAACP, he was able to create some new energy and determination into the people, who faced the struggles of segregation in Alabama. The bus boycott involved 382 days of protesting at workplaces. During this time the African American community dealt with harassment, violence, and intimidation by the police and the white communities. After the white community was being defeated in several court rulings and suffering large financial losses, the city of Montgomery lifted the law that segregated public

“The only tired I was, was tired of giving in” (Parks). I was tired, tired of being oppressed, and tired of being stepped on by the law, and my fellow people. That was the only tired i felt. The Montgomery Bus protest sparked a fire that would be felt throughout the entire country, and it was the spark that ignited the fire of the civil rights movement that shook the world. The boycott was the first of it, once light was shown on the problem, she began travelling cross country spreading information about civil rights, and sparking more peaceful protest. Rosa Parks was an important figure that changed the direction of the United States of America. She was trying to get home from work that day, but she turned into an icon for the civil rights movement, and shined a light on the unfair treatment of african americans.

First of all, It was succesful because African Americans had other ways of transportation besides the bus. Secondly, there is a threat to the city’s government because the bus companies are losing money;due to three fourths of the riders that are black.This was succesful because it made the bus companies lose money. Lastly,It is all over the news and people will eventually start to see it and watch it .Now more and more people heard it and will start to agree with eachother.This is also very succesful because by sharing this news will increase money.As said from Rosa Parks,” You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right” -Rosa