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Birth of Rosa Louise McCauley
Rosa Louise McCauley was born Feburary 4th, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama, to Leona and James McCauley. She was of African, Scot-irish, and Cherokee-Creek ancestry. -
Elementary School
Around this time, Rosa Was attending elementary school in Pine Level, just outside the capital of Montgomery, where she lived with her mother, maternal grandparents, and younger brother Silvester. There, the school bus took the white students, and the black had to walk. She recalls "I'd see the bus pass every day... But to me, that was a way of life; we had no choice but to accept what was the custom. The bus was among the first ways I realized there was a black world and a white world." -
Marrige to Raymond Parks
On December 18th, 1932, Rosa married Raymond Parks. The met in the same year, when she was nineteen and he was twenty eight, and were married in her mother's house. -
Finished High School
In 1933, Raymond urged Rosa to finish high school. She did, and, at the time, was one of the few blacks to have done so. In fact, only about 7% had a high school degree. -
Montgomery Buses and the Black/White Rule
In 1900, there was a law passed in the city that whoever payed to ride on the bus was able to ride. But, over time and custom, it became that once the 'whites only' section of the bus was filled, the blacks would have to give up their seats. The 'whites only' seats were the first four rows, but the sign that marked the 'blacks section' was movable, and was moved often.
For years, the black community complained that the situation was unfair. -
Walk Home in the Rain
One day in 1943, Rosa payed her fare to a bus driver, by the name of James F. Blake. She exited the bus, to enter in the back, and as she did, he drove off, leaving her to walk home in the rain.
Parks said "My resisting being mistreated on the bus did not begin with that particular arrest...I did a lot of walking in Montgomery." -
Refusal To Move
One day, after work, Parks once more entered a bus. She sat down and watched the bus fill up. Once the white section was full, the driver, James F. Blake, took the sign that marked the black section and moved it behind the row where Parks was sitting. "You'd all better make light on yourselves and let me have these seats," he said.
When Parks refused to move, he threatened to call the police and have her arrested. "You may do that," she said. -
Arrest
AS Rosa was being taken from the bus, she asked the police man "Why do you push us around?" He responded "I don't know, but it is the law, and you are under arrest."
Parks was charged under Chaper 6, section 11 segragation law of the Montgomery code, although technically she had not taken a 'white only' seat. She was found guilty, and charged $10, plus a $4 court fee.
The following evening of her arrest, she was bailed out by her friends. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott Starts
The Montgomery bus boycott started after Rosa's arrest, but was planned before (Though Rosa's refusal to move was not planned). On the day she was arrested, the Women's Political Counsil (WPC) distributed 35,000 leaflets encoraging blacks to stay off the buses on monday, in protest of the arrest and trial.
Despite that it was raining that day, over 40,000 black particapated. Some rode in cabs, some carpooled, while others walked, some up to 20 miles. -
End of the Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott ended in December of 1956, having lasted 381 days. The black residents of Montgomery had continued it, at considerable personal sacrafice. Several buses stood idle for months, and the boycott severly damaged the bus transit companys finances. After a while, the city repealed its law on segregation on public buses, following the supreme court's ruling that it was unconstitutional. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Gave his 'I Have a Dream' Speech
On this day, Civil Rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. gave his 'I Have a Dream' speech. In this speech, he called for an end to racism in America, once and for all. "I still have a dream, a dream deeply rooted in the American dream – one day this nation will rise up and live up to its creed, 'We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal.' I have a dream . . ."
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963) -
Voting Rights Act - The Bill Was Passed
On this day, the Voting Rights Act bill was passed. It enforced the 15th amendment to the Constitution. This allowed those of race or color other than caucasian/white to vote.
It was at around this time that Rosa became registered to vote. -
Raymond's Death
Raymond died of throught cancer in August of 1977. The 1970's were a difficult decade for Rosa, as she suffered from the loss of many friends and family members, as well as sickness. -
Continuing in Civil Rights
After becoming widowed and without immediate family, Rosa dove deep into the Civil Rights Movment. She worked with Martin Luther King, and several other noticable names. And she had earned herself a name as well. After her arrest, she became an icon of the Civil Rights Movment.
She also was interviewed several times as she grew older, many wanting to hear her story. -
Rosa Park's Death
In October of 2005, Rosa Park's died of natural causes in her appartment on the east side of the city. She was given a grand funeral, and let lie in honor in the rotunda of the U.S. Capital. Parks was the 31st person, the first American who had not been a U.S. government official, and the second private person to be honored in this way. She was the first woman and the second black person to lie in state in the Capitol.
She was laid to rest at the Detroit Woodlawn Cemetery.
