For the majority of history in the United States, particularly in the southern United States, the hierarchy of white superiority remained a dominant and controlling reality. This mythology of white superiority went unchallenged for decades. However, as race relations and tensions started to climax during the era of the Civil Rights Movement, this discourse soon meet its challengers. In Montgomery, Alabama, arguably one of the most racist and defiant cities towards the movement of integration, people began to challenge the notion of racial segregation through a movement known as the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This movement, which lasted from December of 1955 to December of 1956, helped push the civil rights movement forward and challenge the …show more content…
By accepting arrest and remaining calm, poised, and humane, Parks, along with other heroic leaders of the movement, sets precedent for a major theme in the civil rights movement; non-violence. While non-violence was not always implicated throughout the Civil Rights Movement, it remains a powerful tactic which arguably helped the movement achieved the success it saw. Furthermore, her icon began to represent the plight of the black struggle in america, and her case went on to stage a precedent for the movement: that the black community would no longer tolerate the discrimination that it had endured for generations. Following the arrest of Rosa Parks, many organizations and people began to prepare for the bus boycott and other fights against segregation. One of these people was Martin Luther King Jr., president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (Eyes on the Prize). While he is notable for his countless contributions and extensive leadership work during the Civil Rights Movement, his foundations at the Montgomery Bus Boycott remain prominent and influential. Specifically, the speech he delivered at the Holt Street Baptist Church on December 5, 1955 provides insight to his heroism and aids in uniting and driving the beginnings of the movement (Eyes on the Prize). In his speech, he calls for blacks to “work with grim and firm determination to gain justice on the buses” (Martin Luther King Jr.). He aims to establish the need for the
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).
During the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King highlighted the effectiveness of peaceful resistance. When Parks refused to leave a bus seat upon demand of a white man, she was arrested for civil disobedience. Such a simple action triggered a 381-day boycott of public buses and furthered the growing movement. King later described this movement in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” where he explained the bombings that drew him to Birmingham, and how he would peacefully pursue a solution through large-scale civil disobedience. Both Parks and King peacefully revealed injustice to the public, and the violent responses from their opponents allowed the media to highlight the impacts of segregation, mainly poverty, physical threats, and verbal prejudice. Again, civil disobedience broadened social inequality, while also reducing the violence, poverty, and discrimination that African Americans experienced, increasing their involvement in modern government and the overall equality of the
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) began with the remarkable effort to attack and dismiss the principle of separate but equal (Piven and Cloward 1979, p. 207). Credited to the aftermath of the effort, Frances Fox Piven denoted, “Protest had become possible; victories had become possible” (Piven and Cloward 1979, p.208). The significance is laying the groundwork to reject any type of possible segregation in the future, making equality in society tangible rather than abstract. The civil rights movement later went to display tactics more in the public grounds, on highly influential boycotts. Rosa Park’s arrest sparked the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955, a large scale boycott led by Martin Luther King (Piven and Cloward 1979, p. 209). The successful Montgomery boycott was then followed by the similarly successful Tallahassee boycott of 1956 (Piven and Cloward 1979, p. 212). Both successful boycott demonstrated the expansion of power that the movement needed to gain political influence. The wide variety of actions by the protest groups ignited the success of the civil rights
One day, Mrs. Parks was riding the bus and sat in the front, which was reserved for white people only, instead of sitting in the back where colored people were assigned to sit. Mrs. Parks was told to sit in the back of the bus but she refused to move. The police then came and arrested her. Parks collaborated with other groups and organizations to work towards civilization. She was seen as a historical figure when people saw her as an icon of resistance to racial segregation.
This boycott that lasted for more than a year, also demonstrated the unity and determination of black residents and inspired blacks elsewhere to stand up for their rights. The Montgomery bus boycott marked the beginning of a new era for the CRM, it has been called the second reconstruction, as it was the beginning of the last great battle blacks had to fight to gain equal rights with whites. This is what Rosa Parks, whose bold act of defiance helped ignite this boycott to occur. The event with Till was also a catalyst, as it inspired Parks to act with this bold personal defiance. MLK also became the new leader because of his believe in nonviolence. It was proved the perfect tactic to achieve equality. This peaceful response to the violence persuaded many whites of justice of giving black their rights and the evil of racist opposition to
Rosa Parks and ruby bridges play a very important part in society. Rosa was one of the most influential women of the civil rights movement. Rosa’s early life was not easy. She was born in february 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her father was a carpenter and fire mother was a teacher. Rosa was sick a lot and because of that she wasn’t tall. When she saw a water fountain that said color she thought it came in colors. Eaven kids had to go through that. When you think you have a hard life, just think on back then when people wanted to kill you because of your skin. Rosa Parks did many things in her life. She got married to Raymond Parks in December 18,1932. For extra income she took in sewing and other jobs then she went to Alabama's state teachers college. What do you think of Rosa Parks when you here her name? She was best known for her civil rights movement. Rosa parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on the bus. She was taken to jail after this. When this happened thousands of blacks didn’t ride the bus. After a few years she was rewarded for standing up for her writes.
Although Parks demonstrated it with her actions, the public wasn’t yet ready to start rebelling and instead needed to be stirred into action. This is why MLK is known as a prominent figure in the movement, because he was able to touch people's hearts while developing reasoning behind his thoughts, validating his skills as a leader. His nonviolent stance on rebelling was also attractive to many black people because they were likely scared of receiving the same treatment as their ancestors.
Rosa Parks has made a significant impact on her national and international history, through her role as a Civil Rights activist. She serves as an inspiration for ordinary people who want to make a great difference in matters that they believe in. Parks fought to change the rules and views of coloured men and women, and their right to equality. She helped them to gain authority and respect in places such as the public bus systems and other services that encompassed segregation. The 'Mother of the Civil Rights Movement', as she soon became known, was an inspiration for the African-American community and her impact that was created, is permanent.
Rosa Parks was a strong, powerful woman who was one of the well-known Civil Rights figures during the Civil Rights Movement. She sparked the Civil Right Movement by refusing to leave the seat in a Montgomery bus in Montgomery, Alabama, which caused her to get arrested. Due to this action, it has encouraged African-Americans’ to protest discrimination in public facilities and equal rights. Although most historians discussed Parks' impact on social justice, they did not discuss on Parks’ involvement of fighting against sexual violence. African-American women became rape victims by white men in southern states during the mid-1900s.
In the 1950’s, many people in America agreed with a law, enforced by Congress, that people should be segregated by their skin color, which led to those who were deemed inferior to physical violence and mental harassment. The people that did not agreed with these laws, known as the human activists, pursued an extensive battle to abolish racial inequality and segregation in America. The Montgomery Bus Boycott affected American history through its influence on Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., the protest against segregation, and the aftermath of the boycott. Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. were two major influences that established the boycott, however, their influence not only affected the boycott in Montgomery, but paved the history
Actions speak louder than words. Rosa Parks could have said that she was tired of getting mistreated by the whites, but she took matters in to her own hands. Civil disobedience is a type of protest in which protesters deliberately violate a law. Civilians basically disobey law’s. They want the society to see the dissenting view that they see. Rosa Parks was a independent black woman, standing up for what she believed in. Rosa Parks involvement in civil disobedience was due to personal influences, refusing to give her seat to a white, and she did achieve success unsung this controversial method of standing up for what she strongly believes to be right. She was a very brave but also stubborn woman.
One of the most popular struggles was the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott. This boycott protested the unjust in the bus system in Montgomery, Alabama, following the events of Rosa Park’s arrest. He gave a speech that rallied up the black community to boycott the public transportation without using any means of assault. This campaign turned out to be very
Rosa Parks was an important person in the Civil Rights Movement. She is famous for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus operated by the Montgomery Bus Line. This act pushed her to the forefront of the Civil Rights movement. Though this is what she was famous for she had been active in the Civil Rights Movement and NAACP for many years prior to her famous act of defiance.
On the morning of parks trial buses rumbled nearly empty through the streets of Montgomery. By the next morning the council led by Jo Ann Robinson had printed 52,000 fliers asking, Montgomery blacks to stay off the buses. It was an important and an accepted rule that whites sit in the front and the African American riders had to sit in the back of all buses. A group of about 50 African American leaders and one white minister, Robert Graetz, gathered in the basement of Dr. King?s church to endorse the boycott and begin planning a massive rally.
Montgomery’s group of civil rights advocates decided to dispute racial segregation on city buses after the arrest of Rosa Parks whom refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. The advocated created the Montgomery Improvement Association in order to boycott the transit system and King was chose as their leader. During his first speech king stated: “We have no alternative but to protest. For many years, we have shown an amazing patience. We have sometimes given our white brothers the feeling that we liked the way we were being treated. But we come here tonight to be saved from that patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom and justice.” On December 21st of 1956, the United States Supreme Court declared segregation on buses as unconstitutional and which allowed African Americans the same equality of Caucasians as they rode the bus. During this time, King’s was arrested, his home was dynamited and family was threatened but he still persevered and never gave in to using violence to demand what was right.