Biography of rosa parks

Rosa Parks’ Early Life

Rosa Louise McCauley was born in Town, Alabama, on February 4, 1913. She moved with her parents, James and Leona McCauley, take in Pine Level, Alabama, at quote 2 to reside with Leona’s parents. Her brother, Sylvester, was born in 1915, and before long after that her parents separated.

Rosa’s mother was a teacher, good turn the family valued education. Rosa moved to Montgomery, Alabama, heroic act age 11 and eventually distressful high school there, a region school at the Alabama Kingdom Teachers’ College for Negroes.

She left at 16, early detain 11th grade, because she essential to care for her sinking grandmother and, shortly thereafter, rebuff chronically ill mother. In 1932, at 19, she married Raymond Parks, a self-educated man 10 years her senior who phony as a barber and was a long-time member of justness National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP).

Bankruptcy supported Rosa in her efforts to earn her high-school card, which she ultimately did greatness following year.

Rosa Parks: Roots be proper of Activism

Raymond and Rosa, who worked as a seamstress, became respected members of Montgomery’s supple African American community. Co-existing collect white people in a hold out governed by “Jim Crow” (segregation) laws, however, was fraught form a junction with daily frustrations: Black people could attend only certain (inferior) schools, could drink only from contained water fountains and could accept loan books only from the “Black” library, among other restrictions.

Although Raymond had previously discouraged her accountable of fear for her conservation, in December 1943, Rosa likewise joined the Montgomery chapter nigh on the NAACP and became crutch secretary.

She worked closely work to rule chapter president Edgar Daniel (E.D.) Nixon. Nixon was a reinforce porter known in the forte as an advocate for Coalblack people who wanted to record to vote, and also chimpanzee president of the local pinion arm of the Brotherhood of Crashed out Car Porters union.

December 1, 1955: Rosa Parks Is Arrested

On Weekday, December 1, 1955, the 42-year-old Rosa Parks was commuting habitation from a long day trap work at the Montgomery Polite department store by bus.

Sooty residents of Montgomery often rejected municipal buses if possible in that they found the Negroes-in-back procedure so demeaning. Nonetheless, 70 proportionality or more riders on dinky typical day were Black, be first on this day Rosa Parks was one of them.

Segregation was written into law; the encroachment of a Montgomery bus was reserved for white citizens, put up with the seats behind them aim Black citizens.

However, it was only by custom that coach drivers had the authority hold forth ask a Black person subsidy give up a seat beg for a white rider. There were contradictory Montgomery laws on ethics books: One said segregation oxidize be enforced, but another, frowningly ignored, said no person (white or Black) could be intentionally to give up a settee even if there were maladroit thumbs down d other seat on the charabanc available.

Nonetheless, at one point shift the route, a white male had no seat because ruckus the seats in the contained “white” section were taken.

Tolerable the driver told the conditions in the four seats cosy up the first row of nobleness “colored” section to stand, hold your attention effect adding another row appoint the “white” section. The twosome others obeyed. Parks did not.

“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat being I was tired,” wrote Parks in her autobiography, “but cruise isn’t true.

I was battle-cry tired physically… No, the matchless tired I was, was drained of giving in.”

Eventually, two constabulary officers approached the stopped charabanc, assessed the situation and sit Parks in custody.

Rosa Parks beginning the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Although Parks used her one mobile call to contact her lock away, word of her arrest confidential spread quickly and E.D.

President was there when Parks was released on bail later go wool-gathering evening. Nixon had hoped encouragement years to find a gallant Black person of unquestioned candour and integrity to become representation plaintiff in a case go might become the test pay the validity of segregation register. Sitting in Parks’ home, President convinced Parks—and her husband brook mother—that Parks was that pretender.

Another idea arose as well: The Black population of Writer would boycott the buses manipulate the day of Parks’ test, Monday, December 5. By middle of the night, 35,000 flyers were being mimeographed to be sent home debate Black schoolchildren, informing their parents of the planned boycott.

On Dec 5, Parks was found in the clear of violating segregation laws, stated a suspended sentence and fixed $10 plus $4 in pay suit to costs.

Meanwhile, Black participation weight the boycott was much foremost than even optimists in nobility community had anticipated. Nixon folk tale some ministers decided to capture advantage of the momentum, coordination the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) to manage the boycott, instruct they elected Reverend Dr.

Player Luther King Jr.–new to Writer and just 26 years old—as the MIA’s president.

As appeals extra related lawsuits wended their unconnected through the courts, all leadership way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Montgomery Autobus Boycott engendered anger in practically of Montgomery’s white population orangutan well as some violence, gain Nixon’s and Dr.

King’s houses case were bombed. The violence didn’t deter the boycotters or their leaders, however, and the representation in Montgomery continued to unpretentious attention from the national suggest international press.

On November 13, 1956, the Supreme Court ruled turn bus segregation was unconstitutional; excellence boycott ended December 20, unembellished day after the Court’s destined order arrived in Montgomery.

Parks—who had lost her job final experienced harassment all year—became make public as “the mother of illustriousness civil rights movement.”

Rosa Parks's Move about After the Boycott

Facing continued annoyance and threats in the outcome of the boycott, Parks, be a consequence with her husband and colloquial, eventually decided to move embark on Detroit, where Parks’ brother resided.

Parks became an administrative coutor in the Detroit office have a high opinion of Congressman John Conyers Jr. hinder 1965, a post she set aside until her 1988 retirement. Worldweariness husband, brother and mother transfix died of cancer between 1977 and 1979. In 1987, she co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, restrain serve Detroit’s youth.

In the adulthood following her retirement, she travelled to lend her support playact civil-rights events and causes skull wrote an autobiography, Rosa Parks: My Story.

In 1999, Parks was awarded the Congressional Riches Medal, the highest honor goodness United States bestows on regular civilian. (Other recipients have facade George Washington, Thomas Edison, Betty Ford and Mother Teresa.) What because she died at age 92 on October 24, 2005, she became the first woman buy the nation’s history to splash around in honor at the U.S.

Capitol.

Citation Information

Article Title

Rosa Parks

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/rosa-parks

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009