How Rosa Parks' Actions Ignited the Civil Rights Movement in the US

This essay examines Rosa Parks's contribution to the Civil Rights Movement, focusing on her refusal to give up her seat on a bus and the subsequent Montgomery Bus Boycott. It argues that her act of defiance, while seemingly small, symbolized the deep-seated frustration and determination of black people to fight against racial discrimination and segregation. The essay highlights the importance of collective efforts and leadership, such as that of Martin Luther King Jr., in driving the movement forward. It also emphasizes that the willingness of ordinary people to stand up for their rights was crucial in challenging discriminatory laws and ultimately leading to the abolishment of segregation in the United States. The essay references Parks's own account, 'My Story,' to provide a firsthand perspective on the events and the prevailing social climate.

Running head: HISTORY ESSAY 1
HISTORY ESSAY
Name
Institution Affiliation

HISTORY ESSAY 2
History Essay
When the history of United States is written down we cannot leave out the issue of racial
discrimination that was very prevalent in the early days. The segregation laws were made on
basis of racial discrimination where the whites and blacks were not to share certain facilities or
sections of a facility such as a bus. It took collective efforts from the black people and a few
individuals who stood out such as Rosa Parks and Luther King Jr to fight the discrimination and
unfair treatment (Theoharis, 2015). This essay is a discussion of how Rosa Parks's decision of
refusing to give her seat to a white passenger contributed to the beginning of Civil Rights
movement. Rosa Park's article ‘My Story' should be used as a masterpiece to give a clear
understanding of how the situation was during her time and how they initiated the fight for civil
rights.
There was more to start the Civil Rights Movement than Park's individual act of defiance.
Park's act of defiance was just but an illustration of how the black people were tired of being
mistreated by the segregation laws in the United States. If I quote Dr King speech, he said "For
many years we have shown amazing patience. We have sometimes given our white brothers the
feeling that we like the way we are being treated (Turner, 2017). But we come here tonight to be
saved from that patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom and justice" This
statement shows that the black people had been going through the brutal racial discrimination
and that it was time for them to stand out and defend their rights and enjoy fair treatment and
secure a good future for generations to come. The brutal treatment and oppression of the black
people really contributed the starting of the Civil Rights Movements in the United States.

HISTORY ESSAY 3
Park's refusal to give up her seat is relatively important compared to the other decisions
and actions she did and other people did. The refusal to give up her seat to the white passenger
was a very important illustration of determination and courage to stand for one's rights. This
action was an example to the other blacks that they have to stand up and resist unfair treatment
and this really gave the other blacks courage too and determination (West, 2014). In Park's story,
there is a girl in the crowd named Mary Frances who shouted, "They've messed with the wrong
one now". This shows how much the people strongly believed in Park's courage to defend her
rights. It is worthwhile to note that Park's other decisions and an action such as being part of the
MIA organization helped in the fight for the civil right but her decision to give up her seat is
more important since it initiated all the other decisions and actions Clauss‐Ehlers & Parham,
2017). It is her decision of not giving up the seat that got her arrested and gain media attention
and become as an icon for agitating equal treatment of the black people.
What was most important in starting the Civil Right Movement is the people willingness
and determination to fight for their rights. At first, the people who organized for the
demonstration of boycotting the white-operated buses were not sure if the people would head
their call for a boycott but they were really amazed by the success on the first day. This
encouraged the few individuals who had come up to lead the fight for civil rights to form Civil
Rights Movement such as MIA to urge the people to keep on pressing for fair treatment (Parks,
2015. The leadership of the outspoken individuals such as Luther King Jr greatly boosted the
success chances of civil rights movements.
In conclusion, Rosa Park's decision of not giving up her seat to the white passenger and
her arrest greatly contributed to the starting of civil rights movement among the black people.
The segregations lows discriminated the blacks and this brutal racial discrimination caused a lot

HISTORY ESSAY 4
of bitterness among the black populations. Some few individuals had to stand up to defend their
rights and this encouraged the other black people to join the fight. Rosa Park and Luther King Jr
are some of the individuals who were at the forefront of leading the fight for equal treatment
(Levy, 2015). This led to the formation of civil right movements that spearheaded the fight for
civil rights. These civil rights movements have been able to champion for fair treatment and led
to the abolishment of the segregation law in the United States.

HISTORY ESSAY 5
References
Clauss‐Ehlers, C. S., & Parham, W. D. (2017). On My Terms: Sharing a Story of Hypocrisy and
Transformation. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 45(1), 2-19.
Levy, P. B. (Ed.). (2015). The Civil Rights Movement in America: From Black Nationalism to
the Women's Political Council: From Black Nationalism to the Women's Political
Council. ABC-CLIO.
Parks, R. (2015). John Ugaz Prof. Conlon Political Science November 3, 2015. Political Science.
Theoharis, J. (2015). The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Beacon Press
Turner, F. J. (2017). Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches. Oxford
University Press.
West, M. (2014). “I Want Those Seats:'Rosa Parks, Buses, and the Origins of the Civil Rights
Movement.