Essay On Rosa Parks And The Civil Rights Movement

Racial segregation and relations in the recent 20th century were major social issues in the United States. Not only was the country dealing with an innumerable amount of foreign complications, America was also at the dawn of a history-altering social movement. Instances arguing the proposition of equal rights amongst citizens and the desegregation of public transportation and educational institutions were debated, whereas the southern states preferred to remain “separate but equal.” The ideology of “separate but equal” was never truly achieved, therefore, many boycotts, court rulings, and a series of legal acts assisted in accomplishing equality. In the 1896 Supreme Court ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson, segregation was allowed, promising to maintain “separate but equal” facilities. Facilities included public transportation, bathrooms, schools, etc. African Americans had specifically designated areas to eat, drink, socialize, and attend school. The facilities appeared to be more worn out and older than their dominant white counterparts whose facilities were newer, well maintained and overall in better shape. America was evidently separate, but never truly was equal.
Days before the boycott began, a bus began to fill up with white passengers, and Parks, a middle-aged black woman was then ordered to give up her seat for another white male. After refusing, she was arrested for defying segregation laws. This initiated a series of African American nonviolent protests and boycotts. Groups like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) began to organize their own nonviolent protests, such as sit-ins, instigating arrests by literally “sitting in” after being refused service. Nonviolent tactics of protest assisted in African Americans’ race for equality as well as the emergence of strong leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King