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. FULL NAME: Rosa Louise McCauley Parks BORN: February 4, 1913 DIED: October 24, 2005 BIRTHPLACE: Tuskegee, Alabama SPOUSE: Raymond Parks (1932-1977) ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aquarius Childhood, Family Rosa Parks is best known for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, which sparked a yearlong boycott that was a turning point in the civil rights Rosa Parks, also known as ‘the first lady of civil rights’ and ‘the mother of the freedom movement’, was a famous African-American civil rights activist. This biography profiles her childhood, life, career, works, achievements and timeline. 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. Unfortunately, Parks was forced to withdraw after her grandmother became ill. Growing up in the segregated South, Parks was frequently confronted with racial discrimination and violence. She became active in the Civil Rights Movement at a young age. Parks married a local barber by the name of Raymond Parks when she was 19. Rosa Parks (1913—2005) helped initiate the civil rights movement in the United States when she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955. Her actions Rosa Parks earned 40 honorary degrees and the Congressional Gold Medal. Michigan celebrates February 4th as Rosa Parks Day. On October 5, 2005, Parks became the first woman to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda and in 2013 the first African American woman whose statue is in the Capitol Building’s Statuary Hall. Rosa Louise McCauley was born and reared in Alabama during the Jim Crow era, when state laws mandated the separation of the races in practically all aspects of everyday life and disenfranchised black voters. The Ku Klux Klan, often complicit with local governments, engaged in frequent lynchings, beatings, and burnings to enforce the racial order. Rosa often worked as a seamstress when she needed a job or to make some extra money. You can visit the actual bus that Rosa Parks sat in at the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan. When she lived in Detroit, she worked as a secretary for U.S. Representative John Conyers for many years. She wrote an autobiography called Rosa Parks: My Story in 1992 One of these stated that on the city buses of Montgomery, African-Americans were required to sit in the back of the bus. White Americans could sit anywhere, not just in the front of the bus. The laws also stated that African-Americans should give up their seats if a white person wanted to sit down. This is what happened to Rosa Parks. rosa louise parks biography Rosa Louise Parks was nationally recognized as the “mother of the modern day civil rights movement” in America. Her refusal to surrender her seat to a white male passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, December 1, 1955, triggered a wave of protest December 5, 1955 that reverberated throughout the United States. Both Parks and Nixon were astonished because black people tended to stay away from the courthouse, a site of injustice, if they could help it. One of the members of Parks’ Youth Council, Mary Frances, observed, “They’ve messed with the wrong one now,” turning it into a small chant. Parks had been charged with a violation of city law. Rosa Parks occupies an iconic status in the civil rights movement after she refused to vacate a seat on a bus in favor of a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. In 1955, Parks rejected a bus driver's order to leave a row of four seats in the "colored" section once the white section had filled up and move to the back of the bus. Rosa Louise McCauley was born and reared in Alabama during the Jim Crow era, when state laws mandated the separation of the races in practically all aspects of everyday life and disenfranchised black voters. The Ku Klux Klan, often complicit with local governments, engaged in frequent lynchings, beatings, and burnings to enforce the racial order. Learn about Rosa Parks' biography and her significance in 20th century America. See Rosa Parks facts and view a timeline of major events in her civil rights career. Related to this Question Rosa Parks, also known as ‘the first lady of civil rights’ and ‘the mother of the freedom movement’, was a famous African-American civil rights activist. This biography profiles her childhood, life, career, works, achievements and timeline. On 1 December 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested in Alabama for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. Discover how her act of defiance sparked the US civil rights movement. Montgomery bus driver James Blake ordered Parks and three other African Americans seated nearby to move ("Move y'all, I want those two seats,") to the back of the bus. Three riders complied; Parks did not. The following excerpt of what happened next is from Douglas Brinkley's 2000 Rosa Park's biography. Learn about Rosa Parks' biography and her significance in 20th century America. See Rosa Parks facts and view a timeline of major events in her civil rights career. 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