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Rosa Parks: One Small Seat, One Big

Step In History

Samantha Plumridge

Historical Paper

Junior Division

1,952 Words

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The official start of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954, was a time when it was

people against people. There were many events that happened during the Civil Rights

Movement, including Temple Bombing, Brown versus Board of Education, and

especially the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Rosa Parks, on December 5, 1955, took a

stand by refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. She was personally

against the Jim Crow Laws and through her incident on the bus , she was able to help

change the laws in Montgomery, Alabama. This in fact was a very important event that

helped changed the Civil Rights Movement and did make a change in history.

Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913, and grew up in Tuskegee, Alabama.

As a little girl, there was discrimination all around Alabama, from bombings of churches

to the KKK breaking windows in local stores and raiding them. She grew up and was

educated in a laboratory school in Alabama. As she grew up, she started getting

involved in clubs and organizations against discrimination. She also started to get more

involved by walking African American children to school so they were safe, and by

joining organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored

People (NAACP). The NAACP was the oldest and most prestigious black

organization.Through her adult life, she also started getting into organizations that had

to do with rights for people. In 1943, Parks joined the NAACP and was elected

secretary.1 During that time, E.D. Nixon was president. She did not also drink from the

"colored" fountains, and sometimes she would walk from work so she wouldn't have to

1 "Parks, Rosa (1913-2005)." Martin Luther King, Jr. And The Global Freedom

Struggle

3

sit in the "colored" part of the bus. All of these events helped lead up to the bus

boycott.2

It was a cold December 1st, 1955. At the time, discrimination against race was

still a problem. According to Donna Beisel, a specialist at the Rosa Parks Museum in

Montgomery, Alabama, the way African Americans used to be treated was much

different from today. She states, “It was horrible, obviously and I think we’ve come a

long way but I think we have a lot, a long way still.”3 Parks was just heading home from

work and decided to take the bus. She was standing right outside of the Empire Theatre

waiting for her bus.4 After a couple of minutes, it finally arrived. "My only concern was to

get home after a hard day's work," Rosa Parks was quoted as saying. She continued,

"Whatever my individual desires were to be free, I was not alone. There were many

others who felt the same way”.5 As the bus came to a stop, the door opened and Rosa

came onto the bus where she then headed to the “colored” section. She sat down

where there was one of the only seats left for the “colored people.” After about another

two or three stops, more people were starting to come on, but one white man did not

have a seat to sit in. As the law, African Americans were forced to give their seats to

white people. Since the the white man had nowhere to sit, the bus driver made Parks

along with three other people leave their seats so the white man could sit and not have

to be seated by "colored" people. Parks refused.6 According to The Academy of

Achievement, in an interview with Parks states:

2 Rymarz, Lynn. "Move To The Back, Rosa Parks." Cricket. EBSCO eBook Collection

3 Beisel, Donna. Telephone interview. 13 Dec. 2016.

4 "Arrest Report for Rosa Parks."

5 Berkhalter, Denise. "Just Cause." Just Cause. EBSCO

6 Sanders, Viv. "Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott." Race Relations.

EBSCO

4

I was arrested on December 1st, 1955 for refusing to stand up on the orders of

the bus driver, after the white seats had been occupied in the front. And of

course, I was not in the front of the bus as many people have written and spoken

that I was -- that I got on the bus and took the front seat, but I did not. I took a

seat that was just back of where the white people were sitting, in fact, the last

seat. A man was next to the window, and I took an aisle seat and there were two

women across. We went on undisturbed until about the second or third stop

when some white people boarded the bus and left one man standing. And when

the driver noticed him standing, he told us to stand up and let him have those

seats. He referred to them as front seats. And when the other three people --

after some hesitancy -- stood up, he wanted to know if I was going to stand up,

and I told him I was not. And he told me he would have me arrested. And I told

him he may do that. And of course, he did.7

At the time, city codes gave bus drivers "police power" to make sure people were

separated by their race.8 Parks explained the deep roots of her act of resistance in her

autobiography: “I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end

of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being

old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.’’ She also wrote

“As I sat there, I tried not to think about what might happen.”9

Rosa at the time was very calm about her arrest. When she was little, she

gained much courage from her mother and her grandmother, and that indeed, did help

7 "Standing Up For Freedom." Academy of Achievement

8 Berkhalter, Denise. "Just Cause." Just Cause. EBSCO

9 "Parks, Rosa (1913-2005)." Martin Luther King, Jr. And The Global Freedom

Struggle

5

her to get the courage to do what she did and also helped her remain calm.10 The police

described it as, "We received a call upon arrival the bus operator said he had a colored

female sitting in the white section of the bus and not move tack” (See Appendix A).11 Of

course, Rosa was not the only African American female to do what she did. Nine

months earlier, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin had been arrested for refusing to give up

her seat to a white passenger.12 But how come Rosa’s case was such a big deal? Two

other black women did the same as Rosa Parks, but however, both women were

rejected because community leaders thought they would not get support. They thought

Parks would.13 After the arrest, Parks was sent to jail.

The arrest of Rosa and her being sent to jail made people even more angry. Her

arrest sparked a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system. People decided to

use other ways of transportation instead of using the buses. During the boycott, bus

companies lost much money from uncollected fares. It also led to a 1956 Supreme

Court decision banning segregation on public transportation.14 Her prison number was

7053 (See Appendix B).15 Rosa was in jail for roughly about a day until the president of

the NAACP, E.D. Nixon, bailed her out. Although other "colored" people have been

arrested, Parks wanted to use her case for a change. Rosa inspired others to do the

same as she did and to stand up for what they believe in, and this case, Rosa believed

10

Rainsford, Blair. "Tired Of Giving In." Tired Of Giving In. EBSCO eBook Collection 11

"Arrest Report for Rosa Parks." 12

"Parks, Rosa (1913-2005)." Martin Luther King, Jr. And The Global Freedom Struggle 13

"What if Rosa Parks Didn't Move to the Back of the Bus." The Henry Ford 14

"Rosa Parks Was Arrested for Civil Disobedience December 1, 1955." America's Story 15

"Legacy of Rosa Parks."

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in sitting down for taking a stand against segregation on buses.16 According to Donna

Beisel, she says,” I think they were very respectful and stood by her...her husband and

mother especially, stood by her when, you know, they all received violence.” She

explains of how she thinks her family and friends were very supportive and proud for

what she did and for standing up in what she believed in. As Rosa was getting older,

she was a very big inspiration for people. She was one of the main people who started

the Civil Rights Movement and also inspired Martin Luther King Jr. to stand up for what

not just he, but other people believed in as well.

According to Donna Beisel, she says:

Yes. Most people think that her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement was

only the bus boycott and starting that, but actually she was very involved in Civil

Rights work for about twenty years before, the events of December 1st when she

was arrested and then for many years later around, pretty much up until her

death in 2005, she was very passionate about young people's rights and

women's rights specifically. She helped teach young people what the Bill Rights

were so that they could, stand up for themselves. She also, when the schools

were raided here in 1954, helped walked little kids to school so that they would

have support and not have to worry about violence, which did happen

sometimes. She then also...in NAACP, she went out to collect information and try

to get justice for women who...were sexually assaulted by, African American

women who were sexually assaulted by white men, and these white man

16

“Parks, Rosa (1913-2005)." Martin Luther King, Jr. And The Global Freedom Struggle

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received very little or no punishment, most of the time, so those were kind of her

big passions.17

Donna explains of how Rosa, for pretty much her whole life, was spent on

standing up for people's rights and believing for what was right at the time. As before,

Rosa has impacted the lives of many. Rosa has also received many awards for what

she has done. She was first awarded with the Spingarn Medal in 1979. She then was

awarded with a Golden Plate Award in 1955. Her next medal was the Presidential

Medal of Freedom, in which Bill Clinton awarded her with this award in 1996. In 1999,

she was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Her final award she received was

given to her in 2000, in which she received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. With all of these awards that Rosa earned, she

definitely had some sort of impact for the country. To earn these awards, you must had

to do something really special, like fixing segregation and helping start the Civil Rights

Movement.18

Sitting down for taking a stand in history was definitely shown in this event. If

Rosa didn’t take a seat, where would we be? Segregation and discrimination would be

different, the way people are treated would be different, and our country would be

different. Rosa’s act started a 381-day boycott. What does this mean? This means

people were ready for a change, this means people had enough with the segregation on

buses and being told where and where not to sit, and especially, people wanted what

was right, and what was fair. Martin Luther King Jr. was definitely inspired by her

17

Beisel, Donna. Telephone interview. 13 Dec. 2016. 18

Rymarz, Lynn. "Move To The Back, Rosa Parks." Cricket. EBSCO eBook Collection

8

actions. Other people were also inspired too. Rosa Parks was able to change the Jim

Crow laws in Montgomery, Alabama.

As time passes, everyone grows old and eventually passes away. Rosa died on

October 24, 2005 at the age of 92.19 Rosa and her husband never had children and

Rosa was able to outlive her only sibling. Like all great, well-known people, they are

celebrated for what they have done. Rosa Parks Day is an American holiday celebrated

either on February 2 or December 1 in honor for being part of the Civil Rights Movement

and taking a stand for what was right. Along with holidays, people also celebrate her in

other ways, ways including publishing her diaries and pictures to authors writing their

own story or factual book of what happened that day. Schools teach their students

about the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks and her bus boycott, Martin Luther King

Jr. and his famous speech, the KKK and so on. We don’t forget those who have truly

impacted the United States of America and we never will. We remember those who took

a stand for what they believed in, who took a stand not just for themselves, but for

others, and most importantly, who took a stand for what was right, including Rosa

Parks.

Appendix A

19

Berkhalter, Denise. "Just Cause." Just Cause. EBSCO

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Appendix B

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Works Cited

Primary Sources

11

Beisel, Donna. Telephone interview. 13 Dec. 2016.

This interview was very helpful in a variety of ways. Donna told me so much information

most of my sources didn’t provide me with. She told me more about the NAACP

and more about Rosa Parks’s childhood to make her the legend she is today.

Berkhalter, Denise. “Just Cause.” Just Cause. EBSCO,

web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=9e85d0f6-f211-4a27-9f25-

b876b88c6fd0%40sessionmgr4006&vid=0&hid=4214&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNvb2t

pZSxpcCxjcGlkJmN1c3RpZD1zNjI2MTcyOSZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmUmc2NvcG

U9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=19036000&db=f5h. Originally published in Crisis, . Accessed

21 Oct. 2016.

This article was very helpful for my research paper in a variety of reasons. This article was

very helpful and focused more on the overall effect of Rosa’s boycott and the results

of her doing her act of courage to where we are today in society.

Rainsford, Blair. “Tired Of Giving In.” Tired Of Giving In. EBSCO eBook Collection,

eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=9&sid=d169d07b-7fb3-4c34-8b16-

39d0945c437d%40sessionmgr4006&hid=4210&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNvb2tpZSxp

cCxjcGlkJmN1c3RpZD1zNjI1MzQ3OSZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0

ZQ%3d%3d#db=prh&AN=112385842. Accessed 9 Nov. 2016. Excerpt originally

published in Scholastic News.

This article was very helpful in my paper. This article was helpful overall but mostly

focused on how people reacted to what Rosa did and what they did response. It told

me how people started to boycott buses because of her and were very upset when

they heard she was put into jail.

12

Rymarz, Lynn. “Move To The Back, Rosa Parks.” Cricket. EBSCO eBook Collection,

eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=6&sid=d169d07b-7fb3-4c34-8b16-

39d0945c437d%40sessionmgr4006&hid=4210&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNvb2tpZSxp

cCxjcGlkJmN1c3RpZD1zNjI1MzQ3OSZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0

ZQ%3d%3d#db=prh&AN=18988276. Accessed 9 Nov. 2016. Excerpt originally

published in Cricket, .

This article was helpful for my research paper. It showed me more of the mood and more

details of what happened. The elaboration of the facts stated in the article like how

Rosa knew about the KKK and how to protect herself from harm.

Sanders, Viv. “Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott.” Race Relations. EBSCO,

web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=98f4d0b6-dd2b-45d8-a21f-

1664658944f5%40sessionmgr2&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNvb2tpZSxpcCxjcGlkJmN1

c3RpZD1zNjI2MTcyOSZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#A

N=22275825&db=f5h. Originally published in Race Relations, . Accessed 21 Oct. 2016.

This article was very helpful in a variety of ways. It taught me more about the NAACP and

how it was one of the oldest and most prestigious black organisation around. It also

showed me more about how this boycott was one of the starting events for the Civil

Rights movement.

“Standing Up For Freedom.” Academy of Achievement,

www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/par0int-1. Accessed 6 Nov. 2016.

This video containing an interview with Rosa helped put together my research paper. This

interview of Rosa was very helpful because I was able to take her words and quote it

into my paper to better understand how Rosa felt about her act of courage.

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Secondary Sources

“Arrest Report for Rosa Parks.”

kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_arrest_report_for_rosa

_parks/index.html. Accessed 5 Nov. 2016.

As mentioned previously, this picture has help me better understand the mood of Rosa. She

was very calm at her time of arrest and how even though she was getting arrested,

she was proud about what she did.

“Legacy of Rosa Parks.” www.cnn.com/2013/02/04/us/gallery/rosa-parks/index.html. Accessed

6 Nov. 2016.

As stated before, this was a picture of the form of the arrest form that the police filled out.

Here you can see how the police described the report and basic information like

where the incident took place.

“Parks, Rosa (1913-2005).” Martin Luther King, Jr. And The Global Freedom Struggle,

kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_parks_rosa_1913_2005.1.

html. Accessed 19 Oct. 2016.

This website was especially helpful because it contained a large amount of information

about the NAACP. The website also contained information like how one other girl

did the same thing as Rosa but was now acknowledged nearly as well as Rosa Parks

because the NAACP believed she would not gain enough support.

“Rosa Parks Was Arrested for Civil Disobedience December 1, 1955.” America’s Story,

www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/modern/jb_modern_parks_1.html. Accessed 21 Oct. 2016.

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This website was greatly helpful for a variety of reasons. This website contained basic

information on the overall bus boycott and include information like how Rosa was

able to start a 381-day boycott on buses because of what she did.

“What if Rosa Parks Didn’t Move to the Back of the Bus.” The Henry Ford,

www.thehenryford.org/explore/stories-of-innovation/what-if/rosa-parks/. Accessed 23

Oct. 2016.

This website was greatly helpful in understanding the overall bus boycott. I used this

website by using information on the effects of the boycott and how it also sparked a

381-day boycott afterwards.