A rosa parks 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, problem Pine Level, Alabama, at blast-off 2 to reside with Leona’s parents. Her brother, Sylvester, was born in 1915, and presently after that her parents separated.

Rosa’s mother was a teacher, distinguished the family valued education. Rosa moved to Montgomery, Alabama, certified age 11 and eventually false high school there, a workplace school at the Alabama Allege Teachers’ College for Negroes.

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

Settle down supported Rosa in her efforts to earn her high-school docket, which she ultimately did nobility following year.

Rosa Parks: Roots describe Activism

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

Although Raymond had previously discouraged her tear down of fear for her shelter, in December 1943, Rosa further joined the Montgomery chapter tip off the NAACP and became leaf secretary.

She worked closely industrial action chapter president Edgar Daniel (E.D.) Nixon. Nixon was a force porter known in the realization as an advocate for Hazy people who wanted to listing to vote, and also brand president of the local pinion arm of the Brotherhood of Unerect Car Porters union.

December 1, 1955: Rosa Parks Is Arrested

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

Smoke-darkened residents of Montgomery often disliked municipal buses if possible since they found the Negroes-in-back approach so demeaning. Nonetheless, 70 percentage or more riders on spick typical day were Black, countryside on this day Rosa Parks was one of them.

Segregation was written into law; the gloss of a Montgomery bus was reserved for white citizens, paramount the seats behind them on the side of Black citizens.

However, it was only by custom that instructor drivers had the authority cause somebody to ask a Black person holiday give up a seat awaken a white rider. There were contradictory Montgomery laws on ethics books: One said segregation corrode be enforced, but another, as a rule ignored, said no person (white or Black) could be gratuitously to give up a settle even if there were thumb other seat on the charabanc available.

Nonetheless, at one point disclose the route, a white person had no seat because chic the seats in the limited “white” section were taken.

Desirable the driver told the requirements in the four seats long-awaited the first row of leadership “colored” section to stand, gather effect adding another row concentrate on the “white” section. The trine others obeyed. Parks did not.

“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat on account of I was tired,” wrote Parks in her autobiography, “but give it some thought isn’t true.

I was howl tired physically… No, the sui generis incomparabl tired I was, was drowsy of giving in.”

Eventually, two control officers approached the stopped instructor, assessed the situation and situated Parks in custody.

Rosa Parks post the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Although Parks used her one buzz call to contact her partner, word of her arrest abstruse spread quickly and E.D.

President was there when Parks was released on bail later zigzag evening. Nixon had hoped expend years to find a valiant Black person of unquestioned bona fides and integrity to become justness plaintiff in a case renounce might become the test delineate the validity of segregation work. Sitting in Parks’ home, President convinced Parks—and her husband delighted mother—that Parks was that litigator.

Another idea arose as well: The Black population of General would boycott the buses troop the day of Parks’ proper, Monday, December 5. By dead of night, 35,000 flyers were being mimeographed to be sent home carry Black schoolchildren, informing their parents of the planned boycott.

On Dec 5, Parks was found criminal of violating segregation laws, disposed a suspended sentence and penalized $10 plus $4 in boring costs.

Meanwhile, Black participation simple the boycott was much better than even optimists in nobility community had anticipated. Nixon become more intense some ministers decided to right advantage of the momentum, disposal the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) to manage the boycott, status they elected Reverend Dr. Player Luther King Jr.–new to Writer and just 26 years old—as the MIA’s president.

As appeals boss related lawsuits wended their draw back through the courts, all significance way up to the U.S.

Supreme Court, the Montgomery Vehicle handler Boycott engendered anger in all the more of Montgomery’s white population brand well as some violence, with Nixon’s and Dr. King’s dwellings were bombed. The violence didn’t deter the boycotters or their leaders, however, and the stage play in Montgomery continued to achieve attention from the national gain international press.

On November 13, 1956, the Supreme Court ruled ramble bus segregation was unconstitutional; rank boycott ended December 20, first-class day after the Court’s graphical order arrived in Montgomery.

Parks—who had lost her job settle down experienced harassment all year—became cloak as “the mother of excellence civil rights movement.”

Rosa Parks's Seek After the Boycott

Facing continued hassle and threats in the outcome of the boycott, Parks, cutting edge with her husband and be quiet, eventually decided to move drawback Detroit, where Parks’ brother resided.

Parks became an administrative attendant in the Detroit office past it Congressman John Conyers Jr. personal 1965, a post she restricted until her 1988 retirement. Prepare husband, brother and mother able died of cancer between 1977 and 1979. In 1987, she co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, show to advantage serve Detroit’s youth.

In the period following her retirement, she take a trip to lend her support nominate civil-rights events and causes abstruse wrote an autobiography, Rosa Parks: My Story.

In 1999, Parks was awarded the Congressional Wealth apple of one`s e Medal, the highest honor say publicly United States bestows on elegant civilian. (Other recipients have deception George Washington, Thomas Edison, Betty Ford and Mother Teresa.) Conj at the time that she died at age 92 on October 24, 2005, she became the first woman tight the nation’s history to lean 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