The Civil Rights Movement Remembered

February is black history month. In February, people remember Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Thurgood Marshall, and many others. Rosa Parks was the woman that didn't give up her seat in the bus for a white man. She was arrested and sent to jail, simply for not giving her bus seat up to a white man.

Montgomery, Alabama, is where this happened. Black people were forced to sit in the back seats of the bus, and if there were front seats available and a black man was sitting and a white man was standing, the black man had to stand up and give up his seat to the white man. If he didn't give up his seat, he would be arrested and sent to jail. That was what happened to Rosa Parks. She didn't give her seat up to a white man and was arrested for doing that.

Martin Luther King Junior heard about the incident that happened with
Rosa Parks and decided to launch a boycott on the Alabama buses. He, as you may know, spoke a famous speech called "I have a dream." He was mad that people were so racist to black people. He was shot when he was standing on his balcony, while presenting a speech. People found and caught the man who shot him but, but some people believe that some one else was behind the murder of Martin.

Last but not least, there is Thurgood Marshall. He was a civil rights lawyer. His most important case was Blacks v. Board of Eduction of Topeka. He was the first African-American Supreme Court Justice.

By: Rubina H.

Source: National Archives

Who Was Rosa Parks?

Up until 1955, all places in America had separate places for blacks and whites: different drinking fountains, different restrooms, different sides of the buses, schools, and even different neighborhoods.

But on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a local black seamstress of Montgomery, Alabama, refused to give up her seat to a white man. She was arrested and fined that same day for breaking a "city ordinance." This incident led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., many black people in Montgomery refused to ride buses. They,instead, carpooled, walked, and took taxis. Because of the sudden decrease of bus riders, bus companies began to lose money. In order to regain financial strength, the law changed for all people to be equal and for non-segregation.

Rosa Parks' refusal of her bus seat led to the boycott which led to legalizing non-segregation. She remains important in our society not just because of her standing up to unjust laws, but also, Rosa Parks fought for civil rights and gave speeches to teach young children about the history of our country.

You can read Julien G.'s related story about Dr. Martin Luther King.

Watch this video about what happened on December 1, 1955.