On Thursday, December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her .
seat on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama, to a white man. At the time of her arrest she .
was already an experienced activist with strong beliefs. She was the granddaughter of former .
slaves and daughter of a carpenter and a rural schoolteacher. Her protest sparked a growing .
movement to desegregate public transportation and marked a historic turning point in the .
African American battle for civil rights. Much like Henry David Thoreau, Rosa Parks showed .
acts of nonviolence and civil disobedience toward the racial issues they faced.
When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat she showed an act of civil disobedience .
and when she protested she used nonviolence. Civil disobedience is opposing a law that is .
thought to be wrong by peacefully refusing to obey it. In doing this she had hopes of .
persuading other people to help correct the problem in society and she was successful. She .
inspired the whole population of African Americans to peacefully go against the unjust laws. .
She once said "Each person must live their life as a model for others," (Internet, 1) and other .
African Americans were inspired. In response to Parks arrest, the Women's Political .
Council distributed fliers to boycott the bus line on the day of Park's trial. The African .
Americans of Montgomery won their rights on June 2, 1956, when a federal court ruled for .
the Montgomery Improvement Association and declared segregated bus service to be .
unconstitutional. (Internet, 1) Also, unlike a criminal, people like Rosa Parks, who are being .
civilly disobedient take their punishment for disobeying the law. That is why she was willing .
to go to jail for what she believed was right.
Henry David Thoreau felt that the best type of government was "That government is .
best which governs not at all." (Thoreau, 1) He was opposed to the Mexican War, taxes, and .
slavery.
