Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks was born in 1913 in Alabama. As an African-American citizen, she saw that many people were being treated unfairly. All American citizens were supposed to have equal rights, but for Rosa Parks, this was not true. African-American citizens were segregated from white citizens. During her lifetime, African-Americans could not even drink from the same water fountains as other Americans. They could not sit in the same areas of restaurants or movie theaters. The list of inequalities went on and on.

Every day to go to work, Rosa would ride a bus. One rule on the bus was for African-Americans to give up their seats if white passengers wanted them. But one particular day, Rosa decided she’d had enough of the rule. She had paid to ride the bus, and she had paid for her seat; she was not going to give up her place.

Rosa Parks’s brave move of defiance led to her arrest. However, many people stood up for her and were proud of her act of courage that day on the bus. The African-American community agreed to a boycott. All of those in favor of Rosa’s actions decided to no longer use the bus system, even though for many this meant a long walk to and from work.

As a result of Rosa Parks’s actions and a ruling made by the Supreme Court, things began to change for the better. One such change was that African-Americans no longer had to give up their seats for other passengers. The huge Civil Rights Movement that would continue to happen in America would help gain equal rights for all American citizens. Rosa Parks will always be remembered as a true crusader for civil rights.