Question

Rosa Parks in 1955.

1 In 1955, 42-year-old Rosa Parks took an iconic stand that made history. She refused to give up her seat to a White man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus at the height of Jim Crow and racial segregation. Her actions became national news. They sparked the Montgomery bus boycott—an important part of the civil rights movement in the United States. However, Parks was not just an overworked seamstress who was too fed up to give her seat to a White man. Parks’ actions were in line with her lifelong activism. She had dedicated her life to the Black community and achieving civil rights. This was one moment that went “viral” in an age without the Internet.
2 Rosa Louise McCauley, also known as Rosa Parks, was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, on February 4, 1913. She was raised by her single mother, Leona McCauley, and her grandparents, Rose and Sylvester Edwards. They lived on a small Alabaman farm during the Jim Crow era. This was a time when unjust laws and social orders separated people by race and oppressed Black people. Rosa’s grandparents were formerly enslaved. They were vocal advocates for racial justice, supporters of equality, and strong role models for a young Rosa. Racial tensions were high, and the domestic-terrorist group the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) targeted Black Americans with unchecked violence and intimidation. Her youth was filled with evidence of this violence and racism. For example, racist White Southerners burned her school down, and the KKK showed up at her family farm but were chased away by her grandfather. She grew up in a segregated world that left her community scared and disadvantaged. This had a big impact on her life.
3 As a young adult, she looked for ways to bring justice to her community. At 19, she met and married Raymond Parks. He was an active member of Alabama’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP. She, too, became actively involved in Montgomery’s NAACP chapter. She served as the chapter’s youth leader. She was also the secretary to its president, E. D. Nixon, until 1957. Rosa also worked on criminal justice in Black Alabaman communities. She worked on many issues facing the African American community, including protecting Black men from false accusations and lynching.
4
Her frustration fueled her. On December 1, 1955, she had a chance to show her resolve for civil rights, and she took it. She intentionally refused a bus driver’s instructions to give up her seat on a crowded bus to a White passenger. Her seat happened to be in the back of the bus. She had not broken any laws. Nonetheless, the bus driver insisted she move and give up her seat to a standing White passenger. When she refused, he called the police. She was then unlawfully arrested. Parks and the NAACP expected the arrest. They were prepared to respond. They rallied the African-American community and its nearly 40,000 commuters to boycott Montgomery public transportation until Parks’ trial. It was a huge success, and the boycott lasted 381 days. It ended only after the Supreme Court ruled segregation on public transit systems unconstitutional.

5 During this time, White segregationists repeatedly tried to scare the Black community into ending their boycott with bombings and violence. However, Parks and her community held strong. Parks would end up losing her job and was forced to move to Detroit. But there, she continued her work in civil rights. She became an important figure and organizer during the national civil rights movement. She continued to advocate for racial justice throughout her life until her death in 2005.
6 Rosa Parks is remembered for her courage and commitment in the fight for civil rights. In addition to her iconic act of resistance, she committed her life to collective action and fighting injustice.
Which two statements accurately describe the relationship Rosa Parks and the NAACP?


Rosa Parks was a member of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP.


Rosa Parks served as president of the local chapter of the NAACP.


The NAACP assisted Rosa Parks in her preparation for refusing to move seats on the bus.


The NAACP and Rosa Parks expected Park's arrest after refusing to obey the bus driver's instructions.

Answer 1

Correct choices:

- Rosa Parks was a member of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP.
- The NAACP and Rosa Parks expected Parks's arrest after refusing to obey the bus driver's instructions.