Bus Boycott by Rosa Parks and the Start of the US Civil Rights Movement

1) Rosa Parks is actually the one who sparked the US Civil Rights movement. This happened unintentionally as she refused to give her seat to a white man in a Montgomery Bus. She had paid for her seat and yet she was asked to leave her seat and give it to the white man. Feeling discriminated; she declined the request and was arrested for violating Alabama’s segregation laws through this act. Following this act, many other black people were inspired to boycott and rebel against some of the states’ laws regarding segregation. They marched through places such as the National Mall and in front of the Lincoln Memorial. This also made Martin Luther King Jr. aware of the racist situation they had. 2) This revolution shows that we have the right and the power to stand up for ourselves and protest for the greater good. The Civil Rights Movement was different to the other revolutions previously studied, because it was non-violent. It means that we can achieve what we want without using brutality. It is similar in ways that they both attained to get the freedom they wanted. 3) The overall outcome was confusing because some helped the nation, some worsened the nation. The revolution may be a success because it made the people realize that color of the skin doesn’t matter. It made white people open their eyes towards a fairer world between different races and it gave the blacks more courage to stand up for themselves if their rights were abused. Different opportunities were expanded to the black people, giving them more freedom and less separation in social and economic status. 4) The revolution was justified because it gave equal rights to all the Americans citizens. African Americans were given the chance to be elected, to participate in prestigious schools, and get jobs they wanted. They had the ability to explore the freedom and rights the white people had. There was no more discrimination amidst the community. The Civil Rights Movement was mainly a peaceful rebellion against the white government, if violence was used, the white people would have accused the blacks and give them more reasons to be treated unfairly. The blacks showed that there was another technique in which different people could all live in harmony without anyone being treated unjustly. It showed that just by using people to protest, you could possibly achieve much more than one can expect. 5) It does follow the anatomy of Crane’s hypothesis, because the civil rights movement went through many similar steps. First, it had the Symptoms where separation of citizens was visible, then the Rising Fever, where white people killed the black citizens just because of their skin color. This was when Rosa Parks’ courageous act happened with the bus boycott. Crisis was next, and that’s when Martin Luther King protested for the rights of the African Americans. Following Crisis came the Convalescence, when the African Americans achieved their rights and earned the freedom and respect they deserved. "Rosa Parks." Wikipedia. 28 Jan 2008     "African-American Civil Rights Movement." Wikipedia. 28 Jan 2008 .