Rosa_Parks__Mother_of_the_Civil_Rights_Movement

  What would happen if no one had stood up to discrimination' If no one had the courage to fight back against the Jim Crow Laws and other unjust, racist laws' Would the United States be the same without all the bold and daring Civil Rights leaders that fought back against the Ku Klux Klan and all the other supremacist organizations' The answer is no. Reformers in the 20th century were key in the development of the United States. Among these reformers was Rosa Parks, an audacious Civil Rights activist. Rosa Parks was decisive in her actions, she knew that she was fighting for the right cause and this gave her the motivation to go to extreme limits. Mrs. Parks went to the point where she sat on a bus seat and refused to leave even after commanded to by a police officer. Mrs. Parks participated in sit-ins, marches, and many other forms of peaceful assembly to petition for government change in Alabama. Throughout history African Americans have been discriminated, segregated, and mistreated due to racism. It wasn’t until the 1950s that African Americans finally revolted and challenged the laws of the unjust government that had been putting them down. This peaceful revolution is known as the Civil Rights Movement. The mother of the Civil Rights Movement was Rosa Parks. Her refusal obey a prejudice law ignited a flame of both anger and hope that caused the birth of the Civil Rights Movement. [“Parks, Rosa." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 2011. Web.] As a child Rosa Louise feared the looming threat of the Ku Klux Klan. Rosa Louise grew up on a small farm in Tuskegee, Alabama where the racist association, commonly known as the KKK, terrorized black neighborhoods. “All summer, members of the white hate organization, the Ku Klux Klan, rampaged through Alabama, burning black homes, churches, and businesses” (Ashby, 10). Up until her death, Mrs. Parks had memories of her neighbors screaming at night while she watched in horror as the KKK burnt down the home of an innocent black family. One of Mrs. Park’s most vivid recollections is that of her grandfather sitting in his rocking chair, starring at the door with a loaded shotgun. “At night Rosa’s grandfather would sit in his rocking chair by the door, waiting to defend his house in case of attack” (Ashby, 9). Mrs. Parks had a very frightening childhood. Mrs. Parks was only seven. She stayed with her grandfather up all night long, scared; yet unwilling to miss the moment her grandfather shot his gun. [Ashby, Ruth. Rosa Parks. China: Sterling Biographies, 2008] [Brinkley, Douglas. Rosa Parks. New York: Viking, 2000] School gave Rosa Parks one of her first lessons in racism. The school that Rosa attended at her early age was an all-black school. Her school was an old wooden building that was heated by iron stove (that ran on wooden logs provided by the students). However, “the local white school, on the other hand, was brick, with real plate-glass windows (the all-black school only had wooden shutters to let in light). The white students’ school was heated during the winter” (Robinson, 8). What really ticked off young Rosa was that both black and white people paid taxes, yet the majority was going to white funds. “Rosa thought the inequality was particularly unfair because the new segregated white school, including the buses, was paid for by taxes from both white and black citizens” (Ashby, 7). Rosa grew up with an injustice in her life, though sadly she couldn’t comprehend why the injustice was being done to her race. [Ashby, Ruth. Rosa Parks. New York: Sterling Publishing, 2008. 8-16. Print.] Growing up, Rosa faced intense racial pressure; yet there were figures in her life that taught her to be bold and stand up for herself. One of these figures she met while attending the Montgomery Industrial School for Girls, more commonly known as Miss White’s. In the 1920s there were no public high schools for black students in Montgomery. Rosa came to this school because her parents had taught her to not let anything get in the way of her education, especially her skin color. Rosa was taught by a white abolitionist referred to as Miss White. The most important virtue Miss White taught Rosa, though, could not be learned from the pages of a book. It was self-respect. “I… learned that I should not set my sights lower than anybody just because I was black” –Rosa Parks. Rosa now looked at life from a different standpoint than she did in years past. [Ashby, Ruth. Rosa Parks: My Story. New York: Sterling Publishing, 2008. 8-16. Print.] Rosa Parks achieved equality through peaceful rallies, boycotts, and simply refusing to follow unjust laws. On August 28, 1963, Rosa Parks attended The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. This is where Martin Luther King Jr. gives his famous “I have a dream” speech. Rosa Parks joined other African Americans in a nonviolent rally to end injustices and inequalities being done to African Americans because of the color of their skin. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested after refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person. On December 5, 1955, Black citizens of Montgomery begin a bus boycott to challenge existing bus segregation laws. This was heavily influenced by Rosa Parks and her refusal to give up her bus seat. [Ashby, Ruth. Rosa Parks. New York: Sterling Publishing, 2008. 0-7. Print.] Rosa Parks was a courageous abolitionist who confronted a huge injustice that had been ignored for too long. She spoke out against all odds; knowing the risks she was taking in doing so. Mrs. Parks faced many obstacles on her quest for equality. One of which was the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), a group of white people who attempted to put an end to the rising upheaval by terrorism. The KKK was a terrorist group that burned Black homes, churches, and businesses. They also beat and lynched several African Americans. This group was made up of former confederate soldiers that were upset about the outcome of the war. They would disguise themselves by wearing white robes and cone shaped hats. [Ashby, Ruth. Rosa Parks. New York: Sterling Publishing, 2008. 9-13. Print.] Rosa Parks used the NAACP as her greatest asset in the battle for equality known as the Civil Rights Movement. E. D. Nixon wanted to challenge the Montgomery Jim Crow laws. However, Nixon needed someone brave enough to be a plaintiff in such a case. Sure enough, when asked, Rosa Parks agreed. The group that was organizing the case knew that it would be costly to take this case to the Supreme Court, but that was the only way they would get a fair trial. “In order to raise the money, they would have to enlist the help of the national NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and its head, lawyer Thurgood Marshall,” (Ashby,64). Rosa Parks knew that she could rely on the NAACP for support in her dangerous attempt to change the way African Americans were treated. [Ashby, Ruth. Rosa Parks. New York: Sterling Publishing, 2008. 39-46, 63-68. Print.] Rosa Parks inspired many uprisings. Most of them had positive outcomes yet some had negative ones. One of which was the court case Brown v. Board of Education. Through this court case segregation in public schools was banned. Another is the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which happens to be a boycott in honor of Rosa Parks. The outcome of the boycott was that segregation within buses was now also illegal. ["Black Peoples of America - Civil Rights." History on the Net. History on the Net, 13 May 2010. Web.] The consequences of Rosa Parks’s act of individual courage continued to manifest themselves. “With great pride, Parks watched the movement she had helped spur into existence grow,” (Hull, 97). The actions Rosa Parks did in her life impacted the lives of others. Mrs. Parks spent her entire lifetime improving the lives of African-Americans. Rosa Parks was successful to the extent that she influenced others to join in the fight for equality, known as The Civil Rights Movement. “Other southern blacks had started to challenge their cities’ segregation laws, and young black students were beginning to organize for change,” (Hull, 97). Rosa Parks’s success went as far as inspiring black youth to create organizations for the benefit of African-Americans. By in just one year the MIA (The Montgomery Improvement Association), WPC (Women's Political Council), and SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) were all created. [Hull, Mary. Rosa Parks Civil Rights Leader. Washington D.C.: Chelsea House Publishers, 1994. 95-105. Print.] Rosa Parks was also successful in gaining federal support, to an extent. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a civil rights bill that outlawed racial discrimination in employment and public places. The government also authorized that anyone can sue to desegregate schools and allowed the withholding of federal funds from programs that administered discriminatorily. “The legislation left large areas of concern essentially unaddressed,” (Hull, 100). The legislation had changed major laws in the favor of African-Americans. Yet, it had failed to address the key issue of suffrage. In the South intimidation, threats, and fraud were all being used to prevent blacks from registering and voting. [Parks, Rosa, and Jim Haskins. Rosa Parks: My Story. New York: Dial Books, 1992. 176-88. Print.] In conclusion, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus. A simple act of civil disobedience, yet it morally and judicially challenged the entire nation. Rosa Parks was a woman that was truly devoted to her work. She continued to fight for equal rights until her death in 2005. Throughout the process of writing this report I have developed my skills as a writer. I have found out that the more fascinated I am on a topic the better and more vivid my writing can be.   Works Cited Page Ashby, Ruth. Rosa Parks. New York: Sterling Publishing, 2008. Print. Brinkley, Douglas. Rosa Parks. New York: Viking, 2000 “Parks, Rosa." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 2011. Web. "Black Peoples of America - Civil Rights." History on the Net. History on the Net, 13 May 2010. Web. Hull, Mary. Rosa Parks Civil Rights Leader. Washington D.C.: Chelsea House Publishers, 1994. 95-105. Print. Parks, Rosa, and Jim Haskins. Rosa Parks: My Story. New York: Dial Books, 1992. 176-88. Print.