Who was Rosa Parks? Civil rights activist Rosa Parks (February 4, 1913 to October 24, 2005) refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated Montgomery, Alabama bus, which spurred the Montgomery Bus Boycott, lasted 381 days, which helped launch nationwide efforts to end segregation of public facilities. The city of Montgomery had no choice but to repeal the law mandating racial segregation on public buses. Rosa Parks received many honors during her lifetime, including the NAACP's highest award. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Rosa Parks Arrest: Refusing to Give Up Her Seat on the Bus On December 1, 1955, after a long day at work at a Montgomery department store, where she worked as a seamstress, Rosa Parks boarded the Cleveland Avenue bus to return home. He sat in the first of several rows designated for “colored” passengers. The Montgomery city code required that all public transportation be segregated and that bus drivers have the “powers of a city police officer while actually in charge of any bus for the purpose of carrying out the provisions” of the code. When driving a bus, drivers had to provide separate but equal accommodations for white and black passengers by assigning seats. This was accomplished with a line roughly down the center of the bus that separated the white passengers at the front of the bus and the African American passengers at the rear. When an African-American passenger boarded the bus, he or she had to get on the front to pay the fare and then get off and re-board the bus through the back door. As the bus on which Rosa continued her 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. Rosa's bus driver stopped the bus and moved the sign separating the two sections back one row, asking four black passengers to give up their seats. The city's bus ordinance did not specifically give drivers the authority to ask a passenger to give up their seat to anyone, regardless of color. However, Montgomery bus drivers had adopted the habit of moving back the sign separating white and black passengers and, if necessary, asking black passengers to give up their seats to white passengers. If the black passenger protested, the bus driver had the authority to refuse service and could call the police to have them removed. Three of the other black passengers on Rosa's bus obeyed the driver, but Rosa refused and remained seated. The driver asked, “Why don't you get up?” to which Rosa replied, "I don't think I should stand up." The driver called the police and had her arrested. Later, Rosa recalled that her refusal was not due to physical exhaustion, but that she was tired of giving up. Police arrested Rosa at the scene and charged her with a violation of Montgomery city code. She was taken to police headquarters, where, later that night, she was released on bail. On the morning of December 5, a group of African-American community leaders gathered at Mt. Zion Church in Montgomery to discuss strategies and determined that their boycott effort required new organization and strong leadership. They formed the Montgomery Improvement Association, electing Montgomery newcomer Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as minister of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. ThereMIA believed that Rosa Parks' case offered an excellent opportunity to take further action to create real change. When Rosa arrived at court that morning for her trial with her lawyer, Fred Gray, she was greeted by a lively crowd of about 500 local supporters, who cheered her on. After a 30-minute hearing, Rosa was found guilty of violating a local ordinance and was fined $10, plus $4 in court costs. Arguably the most important event of the day, however, was what Rosa's trial had triggered. The Montgomery Bus Boycott, as it became known, was enormously successful, lasting 381 days. City buses were, by and large, empty. Some people carpooled and others rode in taxis operated by African Americans, but most of the approximately 40,000 African American commuters living in the city at the time had chosen to walk to work that day, some as far as 20 miles. size, scope and fidelity of participation in the boycott, the effort continued for several months. The city of Montgomery had become an eyesore, with dozens of idle public buses, ultimately severely crippling its transportation company's finances. As the boycott progressed, however, came strong resistance. Some segregationists reacted with violence. Black churches were burned, and both Martin Luther King Jr. and E. D. Nixon's homes were destroyed by bombing. However, further attempts were made to end the boycott. Insurance was canceled for the city taxi system used by African Americans. Black citizens were arrested for violating an antiquated law prohibiting boycotts. In response to subsequent events, members of the African-American community took legal action. Armed with the Brown v. Board of Education, which asserted that separate but equal policies had no place in public education, a black legal team took the issue of segregation on public transportation systems to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, Northern Division ( Montgomery); Rosa's attorney, Fred Gray, filed the lawsuit. In June 1956, the district court declared racial segregation laws (also known as "Jim Crow laws") unconstitutional. The city of Montgomery appealed the court's decision shortly thereafter, but on November 13, 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the lower court's ruling. With the transit company and downtown businesses suffering financial losses and the legal system ruling against them, the city of Montgomery had no choice but to reverse enforcement of segregation on public buses, and boycott it officially ended on December 20, 1956. The combination of legal actions, supported by the relentless determination of the African-American community, made the Montgomery Bus Boycott one of the largest and most successful mass movements against racial segregation in history. Early life and familyRosa Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama. After her parents, James and Leona McCauley, separated when Rosa was two years old, Rosa's mother moved the family to Pine Level, Alabama, to live with her parents, Rose and Sylvester Edwards. Both were former slaves and strong supporters of racial equality; the family lived on the Edwards farm, where Rosa would spend her youth. In one experience, Rosa's grandfather stood outside their house with a rifle as Ku Klux Klan members marched down the street. Childhood and education Rosa's childhood.