Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American activist in the civil rights movement, best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has honored her as "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement". Parks became an NAACP activist in 1943, participating in several high-profile civil rights Rosa Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley in Tuskegee, Alabama, on February 4, 1913, to Leona (née Edwards), a teacher, and James McCauley, a carpenter.In addition to African ancestry, one of Parks's great-grandfathers was Scots-Irish, and one of her great-grandmothers was a part–Native American slave. On February 4, 1913, Rosa Louise McCauley was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her parents separated during the early part of her life, and Rosa and her mother lived her grandparents for a time, who were former slaves. Rosa met and married Raymond Parks in 1932 at the age of 19. Rosa Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley in Tuskegee, Alabama, on February 4, 1913, to Leona (née Edwards), a teacher, and James McCauley, a carpenter. In addition to African ancestry, one of her great-grandfathers was Scots-Irish and one of her great-grandmothers was a Native American slave. Let’s reflect on some key Rosa Parks facts that highlight her remarkable life and contributions. Important Rosa Parks Facts Rosa Parks was born in 1913. Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. Source: Library of Congress. Rosa Parks’ grandparents were former slaves. She came from a family of strong advocates for racial equality. Louisa Collins was born in Georgia, the daughter of a mixed-race slave. She married Anderson McCauley, another mixed-race Georgian. Ten of their seventeen children survived to adulthood. All ten were literate. The eldest was Addie (b. 1884) and the youngest was George Gaines McCauley (b. 1904). Rosa lived with her grandparents as a toddler. When Parks was two years old, her parents, James and Leona McCauley, divorced. Parks' mother relocated the family to Pine Level, Alabama, to live with Rose and Sylvester Edwards, Parks' parents. Parks' grandparents were both former slaves who were major campaigners for racial equality; the family lived on the Edwards' farm, where Parks grew up. Congress honored Rosa Parks with the Congressional Gold Medal. Rosa Parks resided in Detroit until her passing at the age of 92 on October 24, 2005. On October 27, the United States Senate passed a resolution to honor Rosa Parks by allowing her remains to “lie in state” in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Rosa Parks became the 31st person so honored, Rosa Parks’s childhood brought her early experiences with racial discrimination and activism for racial equality.Rosa’s mother moved her family to Pine Level after divorcing Rosa’s father, Alabama to live with her parents, Rose and Sylvester Edwards—both former slaves and strong advocates for racial equality; the family lived on the Rosa Parks. Published: 4:00pm because European settlers brought African slaves there in the early 1700s to work on their cotton fields. 1 Rosa Parks' parents were farmers. 2 Parks Rosa Parks, a figurehead for equality, not only shaped a nation but also nurtured the generations within her own family tree. Key Influential Ancestors. Someone in Rosa Parks’ lineage who stood as a beacon of strength and perseverance was her paternal grandfather, Anderson McCauley, a former slave who became a successful Alabama farmer. Up from Pine Level Nobody knows exactly where in Tuskegee, Alabama, Rosa McCauley was born on February 4, 1913. The town newspaper reported that the skies were clear and it was unseasonably warm that day, but beyond that, and the fact that she was named after her maternal grandmother, Rose, virtually no reliable documentation exists on the early years of Rosa Louise Parks. Up from Pine Level Nobody knows exactly where in Tuskegee, Alabama, Rosa McCauley was born on February 4, 1913. The town newspaper reported that the skies were clear and it was unseasonably warm that day, but beyond that, and the fact that she was named after her maternal grandmother, Rose, virtually no reliable documentation exists on the early years of Rosa Louise Parks. Rosa Parks' early life was marked by her parents' separation, leading her and her mother to live with her grandparents, former slaves. At 19, in 1932, she met and married Raymond Parks, a barber and civil rights activist who was ten years her senior. Both her grandparents were former slaves and strong advocates for racial equality. In one experience, Rosa's grandfather stood in front of their house with a shotgun while Ku Klux Klan members marched down the street. Rosa Parks (born February 4, 1913, Tuskegee, Alabama, U.S.—died October 24, 2005, Detroit, Michigan) was an American civil rights activist whose refusal to relinquish her seat on a public bus precipitated the 1955–56 Montgomery bus boycott in Alabama, which became the spark that ignited the civil rights movement in the United States. When she was two, her parents separated and her mother moved them to live on her grandparents farm in Pine Level Alabama. Both her grandparents were former slaves and strong advocates for racial equality. In one experience, Rosa's grandfather stood in front of their house with a shotgun while Ku Klux Klan members marched down the street. After her parents separated, Rosa’s mother sent her to live with her grandparents, Rosa and Sylvester Edwards, on their farm in Pine Level, Alabama. Both of Rosa’s grandparents were former slaves and strong advocates for racial equality. They were very kind to Rosa, but warned her about segregation. Early Life and Family. Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her parents, James and Leona McCauley, separated when Parks was two. Parks’ mother moved the family to Pine Level, Alabama, to live with her parents, Rose and Sylvester Edwards. Rosa Parks summary: Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama on February 4th, 1913. After her parent’s divorce, her mother moved Rosa and her siblings to Pine Level, Alabama, where Rosa’s maternal grandparents resided.
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