8+Lexi,+Tram

= __The Montgomery Bus Boycott__ =

Key: Intro, First event, Second event, Third event/flashback, Conclusion
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was an inspiration to others, yet it was inspired by Rosa Parks. This important event all started with her, Rosa Parks.Rosa was really great because she believed in her rights and blacks. On December 1; 1955, Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. Montgomery, Alabama was a segregated town, and state. Resteraunts, local parks, bathrooms, and even drinking fountains were segregated. Segregation is when people are devided from others by certain features-- in this case, the color of their skin. The Jim Crow laws are what keep this act in order. They're called the Jim Crow laws because he was a fictional character that was racist against negro people, or African Americans. The event of Rosa Parks not giving up her bus seat changed our nations history. This is because Rosa Parks belived in African Americans's rights. So, when Rosa Parks got on the bus, she decided to sit in the neutral section of the bus. Parks was only thinking about getting home to relax and prepare for the next NAACP meeting. At the next stop, a white man stepped on the bus. There was no more seats reserved for the white people. He asked Rosa for her seat. Rosa Parks thought about this. She was really tired of the Jim Crow laws and she didn't like to be bossed around anymore. She simply said "No" and didn't move an inch afterwards. The man was shocked. The bus driver refused to take this. He was the same bus driver(James F. Blake) who also told Rosa to get off "his" bus, in 1943. Parks was encountered by the police soon after the episode, and said questionably, "Why do you all push us around?" Silence. Finally he answered: " I don't know, but the law is the law and your under arrest." As said, she was escorted to their police car, and taken to jail to be arrested.It was really brave and couragous of Rosa Parks to stand up for herself and other blacks by not giving up her bus seat. Rosa remembers laughing to herself silently; a women who was sweet and kind or, a goody-two-shoes considered by her friends, was stuck in the back seat of a police car. It wasn't too late until she was bailed by E.D. Nixon, the president of the NAACP. Rosa changed history all in one day and more was sure soon to come.

Surprisingly, Rosa continued her normal lifestyle once returned home by Nixon. It was a very long day, and all she wanted to do was not think about it. Even though, the word of the incident spread around Montgomery quickly. Rosa's local church heard, too, and immediately took action. They wanted to start the Montgomery Bus Boycott and asked Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to be their leader for the protest. He wasn't popular as he is now, but people knew he was a great civil rights leader. The boycott would protest against all buses by not riding it. People who wanted to fight for African American rights would participate, but they needed to spread the word first. Women and men made posters and flyers to hang around town. Since the local church had the idea, they had their own advantage of being, well, the local church. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had his own advantage as well, of being a civil rights leader in Montgomery. Soon, the event spread around town, and anyone who wanted to help knew. Later during the same year, the boycott was taking action on December 5, 1955, 4 days after Parks refusing to give up her seat to a white man. People were riding anything besides buses. Friends' cars, taxis, bikes, and even walking. Dr. King was ecstatic for knowing that people were actually boycotting the buses.Rosa's community must've been really nice and agreed with what Parks's did because it was her community that asked Dr. King to be to be their leader for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. You could imagine the shocked bus drivers for having an empty bus. The boycott would force them to lose money and funds for the buses, and drivers as well would lose their pay-check. Blacks were more happy for doing the boycott. It was for a good cause and would end eventually... well it did end eventually, just not as soon as they hoped. The protest lasted a year and ended December 20, 1956. (It exactly lasted 381 days.) The reason it ended because Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took the issue to supreme court-- the most powerful court in America. They were swayed by King's reasons, and declared segregating buses unconstitutional. This is because in the constitution, it states that all men [and women] are created equal. Finally, buses were desegregated. Rosa and Dr. King must've been super excited and relieved for the supreme court excepting how blacks wanted their equal rights as whites did. Our nation was changed for ever: 1) Rosa and Dr. King were most likely going to be famous and 2) Now blacks had their own rights to sit wherever they wanted on the bus... but 3) only buses were desegregated-- there was still more boycotts to happen. // (example: Sit-ins). //

=//** __Flashback: Rosa Parks joining the NAACP__ **//= Joining the NAACP wasn't the biggest part of Rosa's life, but it would help her in the long run-- maybe even until 2005... Raymond Parks was Rosa's husband and has helped her like a bible. He used to be a part of the NAACP, but quit later on. He always encouraged Rosa to Join the NAACP, but yet she never did because of this. She joined because she heard about an old friend in the newspaper, who attended the NAACP. She simply joined because of this and attended the next meeting. Turns out, he didn't come to that specific meeting. Either way, she stayed at the meeting and the NAACP. // (Interesting fact: she was the only girl at the meeting, and didn't really want to be rude.) // Rosa Parks was committed to staying and highly believed in the associations' purpose--to stand up for colored peoples rights. She continued attending meetings and helped the NAACP itself doing so. In a few years, joining the NAACP would help in the end. Most civil rights leaders were in associations such as the NAACP, or different organizations. This would help because being in an association would help Rosa become a civil rights leader, and maybe even be an inspiration to others.

=** __Conclusion:__ **= Rosa Parks helped our nation because of her basic personality and character. She was brave, courageous, and ended up to be a civil rights leader. In her case, she was a normal person. She was a seamstress in Montgomery who just so happened to not give up her bus seat. Anyone could've refused to give up the bus seat, or even give up their seat. It's the persons actions that make history and not the history itself. Parks died October 24, 2005 in her own home in eastern Detroit while sleeping/napping. Her death will effect us all, and especially African Americans. Thanks to Rosa, everyone can ride on any bus and sit anywhere. She will be one of our greatest inspirations in American history.

= __Event: Montgomery Bus Boycott__ = How did the event create justice and equality: -This event created justice and equality by sparking the idea of boycotts against other things such as a sit-in. It also helped African Americans stand up for themselves a little more once they realized that they had to take action by themselves.

Causes: Rosa Parks didn't give up her seat to a white and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to take action by starting the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Impacts: -All colors can sit wherever they want on the bus. -Montgomery Bus Boycott - Rosa Parks went to jail (for about 2 hours.) - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. got more ideas to take action for colored people. -

Importance: -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the president of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. - Roy Wilkins was the president of the NAACP. -E.D. Nixon bailed Rosa Parks out of jail //Rosa Parks giving up her seat leading up to the Montgomery Bus Boycott was very important because if Rosa Parks never gave up her seat, it wouldn't ever lead to the bus boycott because Martin Luther King Jr. would have never thought of taking action so quickly. Rosa Parks could've been anyone because it was Rosa Parks's actions that make her so important/famous.//

Other/facts: -Rosa Parks was in the NAACP. Her husbend was in the NAACP.

Thoughts and feelings: Lexi says: I think it was really brave and couragous of Rosa Parks to stand up for herself and other blacks by not giving up her bus seat. Tram says: Rosa was really great because she believed in her rights and blacks.

Lexi also says: Rosa's community must've been really nice and agreed with what Parks's did because it was her community that asked Dr. King to be to be their leader for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.