To what extent did the actions of Rosa Parks contribute to the reversal of the Montgomery, Alabama bus ordinance?
A: Plan of the Investigation
Topic:
To what extent did the actions of Rosa Parks contribute to the reversal of the Montgomery, Alabama bus ordinance?
Plan of the Investigation:
Many social reforms occurred throughout the 1900's for the equality of all citizens including African-Americans. Black people did not have the same rights/opportunities as those of who were white in colour. Sparked by Rosa Park's refusal to abide her seat, the Montgomery Bus Boycott was one of the social reforms, which led to the reversal of the Montgomery Bus Ordinance. This Historical investigation will take an in-depth look at Rosa Park's actions and see if it was the cause of the reversal. In the Summary of Evidence section, the investigation will cover Rosa Park's career, which lead to her defying the bus driver. Finally, the contributions of others such as Martin Luther King Jr. who helped with the formation of the Montgomery, Alabama bus ordinance will be taken into consideration as well as the Montgomery Bus Boycott. An analysis of these sections will indicate the extent of Rosa Park's contributions.
(150 words)
B: Summary of Evidence
Rosa Parks
* Born in Alabama, 1913
* Faced racial segregation
* Attended all-black school
* Involved in African Methodist Episcopal Church when she was young
* Married Raymond Parks, activist
* Active in Montgomery NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) in 1943 as secretary
* Worked as seamstress
* Advisor to NCAAP Youth Council
* Worked with Voters League
* Attended a civil rights workshop weeks before her arrest (Highlander Folk School, Tenesse)1
Boycott
December 1st, 1955
* Parks refused to give up her seat after coming home from work at department store
* Arrested and fined $14
* The Montgomery Improvement Association, leader Martin Luther King Jr., started bus boycott (December 5th, 1955)
* One day protest
* African-Americans refused to ride bus and walked, carpooled, biked and took cabs designated for blacks to work2
Montgomery Bus Boycott
* Protest lasted 381 days
* Martin Luther King Jr. was leader
* Parks became the face of the boycott
* More than 40,000 (90%) black's particpated in the event
* National coverage increased support from outside groups, getting more organizations involved with the boycott
* November 1956 U.S Supreme Court affirmed Browder v. Gayle and racial segregation ended on civil buses calling it unconstitutional
* Ended december 20, 19563
Contribution of Others
Martin Luther King Jr.
* Educated, had doctorate in philosophy
* Leader of MIA, lead protest
* Was young and not well-known at the time
* Good candidate because ha had no enemies or friends
* Called for meeting at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church with famous black leaders
* Encouraged a peaceful protest4
Raymond Parks
* Was a barber at the time
* Member of NAACP, collecting money to support Scottsboro Boys5
* Convinced Rosa Parks to attend NAACP meetings6
Robinson, Jo Ann Gibson
* Taught at underfunded, segregated Black College
* Active in Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, president of Women's Political Council in 1950
* Complained to Montgomery City Commission about seating practices earlier
* Warned mayor of bus boycott after Brown v. Board of Education
* Mimeographed and distributed more than 35,000 leaflets calling ...
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* Encouraged a peaceful protest4
Raymond Parks
* Was a barber at the time
* Member of NAACP, collecting money to support Scottsboro Boys5
* Convinced Rosa Parks to attend NAACP meetings6
Robinson, Jo Ann Gibson
* Taught at underfunded, segregated Black College
* Active in Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, president of Women's Political Council in 1950
* Complained to Montgomery City Commission about seating practices earlier
* Warned mayor of bus boycott after Brown v. Board of Education
* Mimeographed and distributed more than 35,000 leaflets calling for boycott of buses after Park's arrest7
Nixon, Edgar Daniel
* Union leader, civil rights advocate
* NAACP head before Park's arrest
* Mentor to Parks and got MLK involved in boycott
* Helped organize and sustain boycott
* With Clifford Durr, bailed Park's out of jail
* Supplied MIA with various labor and civil rights organizations8
Irene Morgan
* Refused to give up seat on bus in 1944
* Fined $100, and paid for resistance
* Did not pay $10 for not giving seat9
Claudette Colvin "The First Rosa Parks"
* At age of 15, March 2nd 1955 she refused to give up seat
* Arrested,jailed and bailed by her mother
* Black leaders raised money to take the case to Supreme Court
* Became pregnant by a married man which black leaders though would scandalize the black community
* NAACP left case because Colvin was pregnant, dark-skin and young
* Active member of NAACP's Youth Council and was advised by Rosa Parks10
(516 words)
C: Evaluation of the Sources
Two of the sources used were:
" Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956) ." King Institute Home. http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_montgomery_bus_boycott_1955_1956/
The article titled "Montgomery Bus Boycott" was based on previous articles from newspapers as well as published books. The article is part of a collection of many by King Institute Home, which build upon Martin Luther King Jr.'s achievements. This article deals with the entire Montgomery Bus Boycott and includes information on past events, which lead to the boycott. The article includes core information on organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church and critical people involved with the Boycott who include E.D Nixon, Jo Ann Robinson etc. It was also useful in identifying the Woman's Political Council, an organization that already attempted to change the Montgomery Bus ordinance, but failed. Their limitations were that some background knowledge was necessary when reading the article. Nevertheless, the article was detailed and precise.
Loeb, Paul . "The Real Rosa Parks." Commondreams. www.commondreams.org/views05/1031-32.htm
The article titled "The Real Rosa Parks" by Paul Rogat Loeb published on October 31, 2005 recaptures the story of Rosa Park's and includes a section of his opinion. This article is about how change can be sparked by a person, but requires the help of an existing movement to fulfill the change. The article includes information on people who helped Park's in the boycott; Martin Luther King, E.D Nixon, as well as her career which lead to her arrest. Even though the article supports the argument that the reversal of the Montgomery Bus ordinance was a group effort, it also presents some facts as to why Rosa Park has played the major role in this change. The articles limitations include: lack of detail and part of the article is opinion-based. This article is more of an inspirational piece than a story about Rosa Parks. However, the facts presented are true and have been validated by other sources.
(298 words)
D: Analysis
Many people see Rosa Parks, as the bold woman who stood up against what she felt was injustice. While this is not incorrect, there were a few other people, like Irene Morgan, who had previously refused to surrender their seats and protested in other ways such as sit-ins, through the NAACP11. Claudette Colvin, who was a 15-year-old girl also refused to give up her seat to a white man, identical to Rosa Parks' actions, yet she was forgotten very quickly. Colvin became pregnant by an older married man and since she was young and dark skinned the NAACP did not pursue the case any longer because of the negative influence it would have12. Rosa Parks' actions mirrored the actions of Irene Morgan and Claudette Colvin, years before Rosa Parks. So, why did Rosa Parks became the face of the civil rights movement?
As a distinguished member of the black community, Rosa Park's became the face of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. As a member of the NAACP, she was a great candidate for the case to be brought to court. Her popularity within the Blacks helped the Montgomery Boycott to be successful because without the collaboration of all black civilians of Montgomery, the Boycott would have failed. Her popularity would not have been achieved if she did not participate in many organizations. Her involvement with the Voter's League, NCAAP and Maxwell Air Force Base opened her eyes and brought together a group of Blacks who wanted change.13 Rosa Parks' actions were commendable indeed and they did lead to the reversal of the Montgomery bus ordinance yet alone, she could not have created such a large organized resistance.
Rosa Parks may have started the Montgomery Bus, but she did not play a major role in organizing the protest. The protest would not have been a success without Martin Luther King Jr., JoAnn Gibson Robinson, Edgar Daniel Nixon and the black community within Montgomery, Alabama. As the head of the Montgomery Improvement Association, Martin Luther King Jr. became the leader of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and encouraged many to continue this peaceful protest. Without his leadership the boycott would have torn apart within days.14 JoAnn Gibson Robinson had already filed a case against the Montgomery City Commission about seating practices before the boycott and helped spread the word of the protest by distributing leaflets calling for the boycott. She was a key player in sustaining the boycott15 Edgar Daniel Nixon was the head of the NAACP during Parks arrest and helped organize and sustain the boycott.16 Finally, without the black citizens of Montgomery not taking the bus, the boycott wouldn't have been a success because it would not have occurred and the reversal of the Montgomery Bus Ordinance would not have occurred.
(461 words)
E: Conclusion
Disputes occur when the rise of one who claims fame in a short period, especially if they were not of high class or were not accepted. The difference of opinion in whether Rosa Parks deserves the reputation that she holds as the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement" started when she refused to abide her seat to a white man. Rosa Park's deserves some, but not all the fame for her actions because she was just an instigator, a spark for the flame. For the fire to continue there must be a support, wood. Martin Luther King Jr., JoAnn Gibson Robinson, Edgar Daniel Nixon and the black community within Montgomery, Alabama continued Parks effort and changed the Montgomery Bus Ordinance. For the spark there must be a creator, one who set the path of which came from Irene Morgan and Claudette Colvin. Therefore, the reversal of the Montgomery Bus Ordinance was a series of events and aftermaths.
(157 words)
Final Word Count: 1582
Bibliography
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Collinson, Toni. "Irene Morgan - Civil Rights." BellaOnline -- The Voice of Women. http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art26455.asp.
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