Hubert Humphrey once stated, “When we say, ‘One nation under God, with liberty and justice for all,’ we are talking about all people. We either ought to believe it or quit saying it” (http://www.brainyquotes.com). During the 1960’s, a great number of people did, in fact, begin to believe it. Rosa Parks, the woman who earned the title “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement” decided on December 1st, 1955, to take a stand, or better yet a sit, against segregation. These years were a time of great change for America. The country was literally redefined as people from all walks of life fought to uphold their standards on what they believed a true democracy is made of; equal rights for all races, freedom of speech, and the right to stay out of wars in which they felt they did not belong. However, it is to be expected that in attempting to change a nation one will inevitably face opposition.
Rosa Louise McCauley entered this world on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama to James and Leona McCauley. Both of Rosa’s parents grew up in a time before slavery was banished from the United States. They suffered a difficult childhood, and after emancipation the conditions for blacks were not much better. Rosa 's mother was a schoolteacher and her father a farmer. In 1915 her parents separated, and Rosa’s mother moved her and her younger brother to Montgomery, Alabama to live with their grandmother.(Schraff 2008) During this time period the southern states were extremely segregated, and the Ku Klux Klan kept very involved where Rosa and her family now 4 lived.(Schraff 2008 Page 7) Rosa 's mother was a very important role model for her and her brother. Because their mother was a schoolteacher, she home schooled Rosa until the age of eleven. It was at this age when she experienced first hand hatred and ignorance of the South when she and her cousin entered a store and the proprietor informed her black children could
References: Albin, K., & 1996, i. c. (n.d.). GRANDtimes.com Senior Magazine & Portal Site. GRANDtimes.com Senior Magazine & Portal Site. Retrieved December 12, 2011, from http://www.grandtimes.com/rosa.html Book, I. (2005). Parks, Rosa Louise. The World Book encyclopedia (pp. 171-172). Chicago: World Book. Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. (n.d.). Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Retrieved December 12, 2011, from http://www.brainyquote.com Official Website - Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute. (n.d.). Official Website - Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute. Retrieved December 12, 2011, from http://www.rosaparks.org Schraff, A. (2008). Rosa parks. S.l.: Saddleback Educational Pu.