Rosa Parks was an African American woman who had been affected my racism and segregation her entire life. She became a well know civil rights activist. She is most known for her refusal to move to the back of the bus. This happened December 1, 1955. After a long hard day at work Ms. Parks had gotten on her usual ride  the Cleveland avenue bus , Rosa sat at the front of the bus, after a while the bus began to fill with whites. Then the bus driver realized that more whites were standing when African Americans had been in front seats, so he moved the sign separating the passengers , the four African Americans had to move to their designated are. Three of the agreed with no problem, but Rosa didn’t not want to move she said that she didn’t think she should have to stand up. The bus driver then called the police and had her arrested for violation of chapter 6 section 11 in the Montgomery City Code. Rosa Parks was a women who stood up for what she believed in and didn’t want to be treated the way she had been all of her life. Although she became a civil rights symbol during her time because of what she had done that December afternoon, her life was never the same after that. Her and her husband eventually lost their jobs due to the trial and the event. The whole reason she had become famous and still to this day is a huge icon when we think of the segregation in the south during the 1900’s.

Some characteristics that shaped Rosa Parks to be such a powerful and inspiring activist were; determination and bravery. She showed that she had determination when she didn't give up her seat , she was determined not to be treated the  way she had been her entire life. She said that she was tired of always giving in that's why she didn't stand up. Her bravery was shown when she didn't stand up and when she dedicated all she had just to not give in to the whites any more. Her bravery encourages people all throughout Montgomery, Alabama. Mrs. Parks was very confident, no matter what the people had done she didn’t believe that she should move and even though she knew the consequences to not moving and she still held her head high and was a huge influence on our country.

During this report I learned about a lot of new information on Rosa Parks. During her life, she had been racially discriminated since she was young and by the time the bus event occurred she was just tired of giving into everyone. Before she had refused to give her seat up, there were three previous woman who had done the same thing. But  Rosa Parks was the only main person who was noticed while she was arrested.I also learned that there were four African American people sitting in the front of the bus and Rosa was the only one who refused to move. If she had just said that she didn’t want to stand because her feet were sore and tired our whole country would be shaped differently. After Rosa did this many towns in Alabama began boycotting buses and started walking everywhere they went. They boycotted buses in Montgomery, Alabama for 381 days to prove how bad this society was.  Some people carpooled and others rode in African-American-operated cabs, but most of the estimated 40,000 African-American commuters living in the city at the time had opted to walk to work that day some as far as 20 miles.   The NAACP director , began placing ads in local papers, and handbills were printed and distributed in black neighborhoods.  Her trial was so big that people were encouraged to take off   the day she had court. Because of the protests people began to burn down some of the local churches, also people had bombed  and completely destroyed   Martin Luther King Jr.'s home and E.D. Nixon’s home. They were chosen because they were very famous racial activists during Rosa Parks’s time and were inspired by her. Also very soon after Rosa’s bus scene, many African Americans had been arrested for violating  antiquated law prohibiting boycotts. Montgomery had no choice but to lift its enforcement of segregation on public buses. This bus boycott was one of the most successful boycotts in history. I also learned that she had a harder life after her conviction. Her and her husbands both lost their jobs and were unable to find work. After a while Rosa and her family moved to Michigan.

Personal experiences that made her historically important were being discriminated for her race was one of the biggest influences that affected her adult life and made Rosa the person she turned out to be. If when she was a child she wasn’t treated so poorly then she might not of stayed in that seat. Because she had been giving in to racism ,being discriminated and looked down upon her whole life . In her heritage, both her mom and her grandmother were both slaves. This made her even more aware of how bad African Americans were treated. And she used that while workings as an activist to show how bad people were treated that were so close to her. She was raised in terror that their house would be burned down by the KKK. One time, Rosa's grandfather stood in front of their house with a shotgun while Ku Klux Klan members marched down the street.

I admire the part in Rosa’s life where she was standing up for what she believed in. That time  was during the 1950’s.  She had taken her stand in 1955 and I admire her so much for that. Ever since I was little I had always looked up to her as a role model. She has always stood up for what she believed in and that was always what we have been taught in school. If  Rosa had decided to move to the back then our society would probably not have changed much since that time and we would probably still have bad segregation. I admire her bravery and everything she stands for. Even though this act may have ruined her life it saved lots of ours from those terrible times.

Throughout this report I have learned a lot about Rosa Parks and everything she stands for. She was a major activist involving racial discrimination. Because of her prior involvement with slavery and being discriminated all of her life because of her race it made her a better activist. She didn’t have to refuse and cause such a scene but she no longer wanted to be treated like crap anymore. When she decided to take a stand that December afternoon in 1955, she knew what she was getting into and it cost her, her entire life (figuratively) . because of this she had lost her job and eventually packed up and moved her whole life to Michigan. Rosa Parks is a very important symbol in our society she represents that you should always stand up for what you believe in no matter what the cost. If she had decided not to take her stand then people would still be treated poorly. Rosa Parks was a huge influence on everyone and without her we might be living in a much worse society than today.