Rosa Parks
Birth: February 4, 1913
Death: October 24, 2005
Location: Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. But at the age of two, Rosa moved to Pine Level, Alabama with her parents, but later on at the age of eleven they moved to Montgomery, Alabama. At a young age, Rose Parks noticed black people were not treated fairly and didn’t understand why black people were treated unfairly. According to Scholastic Rosa quoted to have said in an interview, “When I was a young child I couldn’t understand why black people weren’t treated fairly. But when I did learn about it, I didn’t feel very good about it.”
Early Life: Rose Parks mother was a school teacher and her name was Leona Mccauley. After Rosa’s parents James and Leona had her brother Sylvester they separated. At eleven she attended a laboratory high school for Negroes. But during 11th grade she left school to help her grandmother who was dying and her mother who was ill. At 19, she married Raymond Parks. At 42, on December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks went on the bus after a long day at work. At the time Blacks and Whites were segregated by law and there was a law in Montgomery that black citizens had to sit in the back of the bus and the front seats of a bus were reserved to white people. A white man who entered the bus had no seat and so the bus driver asked Rosa Parks to give up her seat along with three other black people for the white man. The other three obeyed the bus driver while Rosa parked refused. According to history, “Eventually, two police officers approached the stopped bus, assessed the situation and placed Parks in custody.” And “On December 5, Parks was found guilty of violating segregation laws, given a suspended sentence and fined $10 plus $4 in court costs.”
Contributions and Significance: Rosa Parks is important to history because her refusal to give up her seat went down in history and caused an active boycott that was determined to end segregation. According to Achievement Rosa Parks talks about her refusal to stand up and give up her seat, “I don’t remember feeling that anger, but I did feel determined to take this as an opportunity to let it be known that I did not want to be treated in that manner and that people have endured it far too long. However, I did not have at the moment of my arrest any idea of how the people would react.” Rosa Parks not giving up her seat changed American History for many African-Americans. And she played a active role in Civil Rights.
Today’s Impact: This is important today because Rosa Parks made an impact to American society. She helped encourage Civil Rights and contributed to ending segregation. Her refusal to give up her seat stirred a boycott and inspired many African-Americans. She stood up for herself. According to Scholastic Rosa Parks told students, “People need to free their minds of racial prejudice and believe in equality for all and freedom regardless of race. We need much more education- especially those who are narrow-minded. We need as much financial security as we can get. I think it would be a good thing if all people were treated equally and justly and not be discriminated against because of race or religion or anything that makes them different from others.”
Why You Chose this History Maker: I chose Rosa Parks because she contributed to changing segregation among Blacks and Whites. I believe if Rosa Parks didn’t give up her seat, then an active boycott of African-Americans not taking public transportation wouldn’t have happened. Her refusing to give up her seat is known among history and has impacted many people and changed the way we live. She has made advancements to the equal rights movement during that time and it encouraged people to understand why segregation is not right. She contributed to the Civil Rights.
Death: October 24, 2005
Location: Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. But at the age of two, Rosa moved to Pine Level, Alabama with her parents, but later on at the age of eleven they moved to Montgomery, Alabama. At a young age, Rose Parks noticed black people were not treated fairly and didn’t understand why black people were treated unfairly. According to Scholastic Rosa quoted to have said in an interview, “When I was a young child I couldn’t understand why black people weren’t treated fairly. But when I did learn about it, I didn’t feel very good about it.”
Early Life: Rose Parks mother was a school teacher and her name was Leona Mccauley. After Rosa’s parents James and Leona had her brother Sylvester they separated. At eleven she attended a laboratory high school for Negroes. But during 11th grade she left school to help her grandmother who was dying and her mother who was ill. At 19, she married Raymond Parks. At 42, on December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks went on the bus after a long day at work. At the time Blacks and Whites were segregated by law and there was a law in Montgomery that black citizens had to sit in the back of the bus and the front seats of a bus were reserved to white people. A white man who entered the bus had no seat and so the bus driver asked Rosa Parks to give up her seat along with three other black people for the white man. The other three obeyed the bus driver while Rosa parked refused. According to history, “Eventually, two police officers approached the stopped bus, assessed the situation and placed Parks in custody.” And “On December 5, Parks was found guilty of violating segregation laws, given a suspended sentence and fined $10 plus $4 in court costs.”
Contributions and Significance: Rosa Parks is important to history because her refusal to give up her seat went down in history and caused an active boycott that was determined to end segregation. According to Achievement Rosa Parks talks about her refusal to stand up and give up her seat, “I don’t remember feeling that anger, but I did feel determined to take this as an opportunity to let it be known that I did not want to be treated in that manner and that people have endured it far too long. However, I did not have at the moment of my arrest any idea of how the people would react.” Rosa Parks not giving up her seat changed American History for many African-Americans. And she played a active role in Civil Rights.
Today’s Impact: This is important today because Rosa Parks made an impact to American society. She helped encourage Civil Rights and contributed to ending segregation. Her refusal to give up her seat stirred a boycott and inspired many African-Americans. She stood up for herself. According to Scholastic Rosa Parks told students, “People need to free their minds of racial prejudice and believe in equality for all and freedom regardless of race. We need much more education- especially those who are narrow-minded. We need as much financial security as we can get. I think it would be a good thing if all people were treated equally and justly and not be discriminated against because of race or religion or anything that makes them different from others.”
Why You Chose this History Maker: I chose Rosa Parks because she contributed to changing segregation among Blacks and Whites. I believe if Rosa Parks didn’t give up her seat, then an active boycott of African-Americans not taking public transportation wouldn’t have happened. Her refusing to give up her seat is known among history and has impacted many people and changed the way we live. She has made advancements to the equal rights movement during that time and it encouraged people to understand why segregation is not right. She contributed to the Civil Rights.