Rosa Parks Civil Rights 3
ily Kelemen
L
1.20.15
Civil Rights Essay
Below are four events that resulted in African-Americans gaining their civil rights.
Choose one and discuss how these rights were won. Consider the roles that protest, leadership, the courts and government authorities played in helping to assure that the rights were eventually respected.
-The Montgomery Bus Boycott and desegregation of seating on buses.
During the first half of the twentieth century, segregation was the way of life in the south. Even though it was morally wrong, it was accepted and still went on as if there was nothing wrong at all. African-Americans were treated poorly because of the color of their skin that somehow, someway made them different. On December 1, 1955, a 42-year old
African American, Rosa Parks, was coming home after a long day of work at a Montgomery department store. She boarded an Avenue bus and took a seat in the first of several rows designed for “colored” passengers. As the bus continued on its route, it began to fill with white passengers. Eventually, the bus was full and the driver noticed that several white passengers were standing in the aisle. He stopped the bus and moved the sign separating the two sections back one row and asked four black passengers to give up their seats.
Three complied, but Rosa refused and remained seated. The driver demanded, Why don’t you stand up to which Rosa replied, I don’t think I should have to stand up. The driver called the police and had her arrested. Montgomery bus drivers had adopted the custom of requiring black passengers to give up their seats to white passengers, when no other seats
were available. If the black passenger protested, the bus driver had the authority to refuse service and could call the police to have them removed. The black population had had enough and boycotted the bus company, refusing to ride altogether. The Montgomery Bus
Company's main source of income was from black patrons, therefore they lost a lot of money due to
L
1.20.15
Civil Rights Essay
Below are four events that resulted in African-Americans gaining their civil rights.
Choose one and discuss how these rights were won. Consider the roles that protest, leadership, the courts and government authorities played in helping to assure that the rights were eventually respected.
-The Montgomery Bus Boycott and desegregation of seating on buses.
During the first half of the twentieth century, segregation was the way of life in the south. Even though it was morally wrong, it was accepted and still went on as if there was nothing wrong at all. African-Americans were treated poorly because of the color of their skin that somehow, someway made them different. On December 1, 1955, a 42-year old
African American, Rosa Parks, was coming home after a long day of work at a Montgomery department store. She boarded an Avenue bus and took a seat in the first of several rows designed for “colored” passengers. As the bus continued on its route, it began to fill with white passengers. Eventually, the bus was full and the driver noticed that several white passengers were standing in the aisle. He stopped the bus and moved the sign separating the two sections back one row and asked four black passengers to give up their seats.
Three complied, but Rosa refused and remained seated. The driver demanded, Why don’t you stand up to which Rosa replied, I don’t think I should have to stand up. The driver called the police and had her arrested. Montgomery bus drivers had adopted the custom of requiring black passengers to give up their seats to white passengers, when no other seats
were available. If the black passenger protested, the bus driver had the authority to refuse service and could call the police to have them removed. The black population had had enough and boycotted the bus company, refusing to ride altogether. The Montgomery Bus
Company's main source of income was from black patrons, therefore they lost a lot of money due to