K-12 Research Guide: Rosa Parks
Introduction
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus to a white man, breaking existing segregation laws in that town. Her courageous act led to a city-wide bus boycott and is said to have sparked the Civil Rights movement.
Background
Rosa Parks' awareness of social injustice started at an early age. Growing up in Alabama, where she was born in 1913, she hated the disrespectful way that white people often treated black people. Her grandfather, a former slave, instilled a sense of pride and independence in her.
Her life took a radical turn when she married Raymond Parks, a self-educated activist who encouraged her to work as a secretary at the local branch of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). This experience opened her eyes to the widespread discrimination faced by Black Americans.
During the summer of 1955, Parks had the opportunity to attend a civil rights training workshop at the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee. There, she met fiery Septima Clark, a black female activist from South Carolina. Parks later recalled, "I only hope that there is a possible chance that some of Septima's great courage and dignity and wisdom has rubbed off on me."
The courageous act of protest by Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955, and her subsequent arrest, led to a city-wide bus boycott that lasted 381 days. Her act gave Black Americans a new sense of pride and purpose and inspired non-violent protests in other cities. Many consider her singular act of protest to be the event that sparked the Civil Rights movement.
(Adapted from Visionaries on Innovation – Rosa Parks: Civil Rights Hero)
Online Resources
Rosa Parks: What if I Don’t Move to the Back of the Bus?
Visionaries on Innovation – Rosa Parks: Civil Rights Hero
Segregated Travel and the Uncommon Courage of Rosa Parks
The Montgomery Bus Boycott in the News
Google Cultural Institute: The Henry Ford - The Struggle for African American Freedom
Expert Sets
The experts at The Henry Ford have carefully curated artifact sets from focus areas of our collection.
Expert Set - Day of Courage: Rosa Parks
Expert Set - Day of Courage: Civil Rights
Example Primary Sources Available on Digital Collections
Inside this bus on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a soft-spoken African-American seamstress, refused to give up her seat to a white man, breaking existing segregation laws. The flawless character and quiet strength she exhibited successfully ignited action in others. For this, many believe Rosa Parks's act was the event that sparked the Civil Rights movement.
Montgomery Bus Boycott Scrapbook, November 1955 - April 1957 (Part 1 of 6)
Montgomery Bus Boycott Scrapbook, November 1955 - April 1957 (Part 2 of 6)
Montgomery Bus Boycott Scrapbook, November 1955 - April 1957 (Part 3 of 6)
Montgomery Bus Boycott Scrapbook, November 1955 - April 1957 (Part 4 of 6)
Montgomery Bus Boycott Scrapbook, November 1955 - April 1957 (Part 5 of 6)
Montgomery Bus Boycott Scrapbook, November 1955 - April 1957 (Part 6 of 6)
These newspaper articles come from a scrapbook of newspaper clippings saved by Charles "Homer" Cummings, a Montgomery City bus lines manager. Together, these articles recount the story of the 381-day Montgomery bus boycott that was inspired by the arrest of Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her bus seat to a white man despite existing segregation laws
Scrapbook by Mary Cummings about Montgomery City Bus Lines, 1955-2001
This scrapbook was compiled by Mary Cummings, wife of former Montgomery City Bus Lines manager Charles H. Cummings. The scrapbook includes photos of Charles Cummings, and newspaper articles related to him. The scrapbook also includes photos and clippings related to the Montgomery City Bus Lines company around the time of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
"Liberation, An Independent Monthly," Vol. 1, No. 2, April 1956
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her courageous act of protest sparked the Civil Rights movement. This publication from April 1956 contains details and a timeline of the months following Parks's arrest. Its cover depicts African Americans boycotting the bus line in nonviolent protest.
Comic Book, "Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story," 1957
This comic book recounts Rosa Parks's refusal to move to the back of a Montgomery, Alabama, bus; the resulting black community's boycott of city buses; and the rise of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s leadership of the Civil Rights Movement. The Fellowship of Reconciliation was an international association dedicated to promoting "peace, justice, and nonviolence."
Books and Secondary Sources
Rosa Parks: My story, Rosa Parks, James Haskins
Rosa Parks & Claudette Colvin: Civil Rights Heroes, Tracey Baptiste, Shauna J. Grant
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, Jeanne Theoharis
Online Databases