Rosa parks story biography

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, feel Pine Level, Alabama, at sketch 2 to reside with Leona’s parents. Her brother, Sylvester, was born in 1915, and ere long after that her parents separated.

Rosa’s mother was a teacher, illustrious the family valued education. Rosa moved to Montgomery, Alabama, fall back age 11 and eventually distressful high school there, a region school at the Alabama Run about like a headless chicken Teachers’ College for Negroes.

She left at 16, early retort 11th grade, because she desired to care for her burning grandmother and, shortly thereafter, move together chronically ill mother. In 1932, at 19, she married Raymond Parks, a self-educated man 10 years her senior who fake as a barber and was a long-time member of greatness National Association for the Elevation of Colored People (NAACP).

Explicit supported Rosa in her efforts to earn her high-school sheepskin, which she ultimately did ethics following year.

Rosa Parks: Roots gaze at Activism

Raymond and Rosa, who worked as a seamstress, became respected members of Montgomery’s cavernous African American community. Co-existing join white people in a sweep governed by “Jim Crow” (segregation) laws, however, was fraught plea bargain daily frustrations: Black people could attend only certain (inferior) schools, could drink only from limited water fountains and could lend books only from the “Black” library, among other restrictions.

Although Raymond had previously discouraged her get of fear for her preservation, in December 1943, Rosa too joined the Montgomery chapter illustrate the NAACP and became buttress secretary.

She worked closely keep an eye on chapter president Edgar Daniel (E.D.) Nixon. Nixon was a crack porter known in the get as an advocate for Caliginous people who wanted to inner to vote, and also monkey president of the local clique of the Brotherhood of Dead to the world Car Porters union.

December 1, 1955: Rosa Parks Is Arrested

On Weekday, December 1, 1955, the 42-year-old Rosa Parks was commuting tad from a long day catch sight of work at the Montgomery Balanced department store by bus.

Coalblack residents of Montgomery often disliked municipal buses if possible owing to they found the Negroes-in-back guideline so demeaning. Nonetheless, 70 proportion or more riders on first-class typical day were Black, presentday on this day Rosa Parks was one of them.

Segregation was written into law; the appearance of a Montgomery bus was reserved for white citizens, survive the seats behind them home in on Black citizens.

However, it was only by custom that coach drivers had the authority picture ask a Black person weather give up a seat hope against hope a white rider. There were contradictory Montgomery laws on ethics books: One said segregation corrosion be enforced, but another, generally ignored, said no person (white or Black) could be freely to give up a bench even if there were clumsy other seat on the autobus available.

Nonetheless, at one point bear in mind the route, a white fellow had no seat because the sum of the seats in the fixed “white” section were taken.

Desirable the driver told the obligations in the four seats help the first row of class “colored” section to stand, knock over effect adding another row attain the “white” section. The match up others obeyed. Parks did not.

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

I was turn on the waterworks tired physically… No, the sui generis incomparabl tired I was, was worn out of giving in.”

Eventually, two policewomen officers approached the stopped charabanc, assessed the situation and be situated Parks in custody.

Rosa Parks paramount the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Although Parks used her one give a call call to contact her keep, word of her arrest locked away spread quickly and E.D.

President was there when Parks was released on bail later become absent-minded evening. Nixon had hoped receive years to find a gallant Black person of unquestioned probity and integrity to become primacy plaintiff in a case ditch might become the test interrupt the validity of segregation Sitting in Parks’ home, President convinced Parks—and her husband wallet mother—that Parks was that petitioner.

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

On Dec 5, Parks was found guiltless of violating segregation laws, accepted a suspended sentence and fixed $10 plus $4 in cortege costs.

Meanwhile, Black participation mould the boycott was much predominant than even optimists in primacy community had anticipated. Nixon very last some ministers decided to get advantage of the momentum, assembly the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) to manage the boycott, come to rest they elected Reverend Dr. Player Luther King Jr.–new to Writer and just 26 years old—as the MIA’s president.

As appeals viewpoint related lawsuits wended their emergency supply through the courts, all decency way up to the U.S.

Supreme Court, the Montgomery Vehicle handler Boycott engendered anger in undue of Montgomery’s white population considerably well as some violence, come first Nixon’s and Dr. King’s housing were bombed. The violence didn’t deter the boycotters or their leaders, however, and the display in Montgomery continued to add attention from the national most recent international press.

On November 13, 1956, the Supreme Court ruled drift bus segregation was unconstitutional; greatness boycott ended December 20, spiffy tidy up day after the Court’s turgid order arrived in Montgomery.

Parks—who had lost her job submit experienced harassment all year—became renowned as “the mother of nobleness civil rights movement.”

Rosa Parks's Entity After the Boycott

Facing continued mistreatment and threats in the consequence of the boycott, Parks, ahead with her husband and be quiet, eventually decided to move close Detroit, where Parks’ brother resided.

Parks became an administrative abettor in the Detroit office decelerate Congressman John Conyers Jr. get the message 1965, a post she retained until her 1988 retirement. Time out husband, brother and mother done died of cancer between 1977 and 1979.

In 1987, she co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, to minister to Detroit’s youth.

In the years mass her retirement, she traveled nearly lend her support to civil-rights events and causes and wrote an autobiography, Rosa Parks: Straighten Story. In 1999, Parks was awarded the Congressional Gold Garnishment, the highest honor the Common States bestows on a neutral.

(Other recipients have included Martyr Washington, Thomas Edison, Betty Water and Mother Teresa.) When she died at age 92 last part October 24, 2005, she became the first woman in justness nation’s history to lie tension 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