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This site tells all who and what organizations were involved in origanizing the boycott. It shows how origanized and well put together their plan was. It moved efficienty and seamlessly. Over 90% of the blacks participated in the boycott finding alternative transportation, including carpooling. In the end, the blacks have overcome and was successful in obtaining equality on the bus. This boycott gave way for the whole civil rights movement.

This site is rather short and to the point. Francisca Stewart summarizes what happened on the bus and how civil disobedience was used to make change. She also shared what happened in the years to follow, including the new rules that allowed both blacks and whites to sit where they chose. This site is useful to get a quick understanding of what the picture is about.

This site explores the impact of the Jim Crow Laws. It starts by giving you a brief background about the civil rights movement. It divides the US up by regions and discusses the right of blacks in each area, which is helpful in understanding what it was like where Rosa lived. There are many examples included for each state on how the laws were implemented. In Alabama, all passenger bus stations in this state operated by any motor transportation company shall have separate waiting rooms or space and separate ticket windows for the white and colored races. This was on top of separate seating areas once aboard the bus.

I chose to step away from Rosa and focus on Martin Luther King, as he played an important role in the civil rights movement. Dr. King actually became the spokesman for what happened that day on the bus. He used his powerful motivational skills to speak out against segregation during the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

I really enjoyed this site. The picture of the bus is only black and white and taken from the inside. This site offers a look at the bus from the outside and in color. I never knew the bus was displayed at Detroit Henry Ford Museum. There is also a picture of Rosa being finger printed. This site not only describes what is going on in the picture, but gives you background on Rosa, everything from her demographics to her fears and jobs. Definitely some interesting information.

This site depicts how Rosa turned the focus of the civil rights movement from court to civil disobedience. People started to protest more and boycott buses or other places that showed discrimination. The boycotting eventually led to federal courts ruling that segregation laws were unconstitutional.

This webpage is part of an online exhibition on the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History website, titled "Separate Is Not Equal Brown v. Board of Education". Listed are a handful of Jim Crow laws that prohibited various interactions between white people and individuals of other races and ethnicities. These laws prohibited intermarriage, mandated separate facilities for travel and education, and even imposed jail time for women who carried the child of a black or mixed race man. In communities around the country property owners would sign a restrictive covenant that stated they promised not to sell their homes to individuals who were not white. The bus that Parks was arrested on belonged to a company that adhered to segregation laws. Living in a city as diverse as New York makes it so challenging for me to imagine that there was a time when people couldn't ride a bus together if they belonged to different racial groups. On any given day I find myself sitting or standing next to a variety of people from all kinds of ethnic and cultural background. Thank goodness for the Civil Rights movement and the activists that stood up for equality.

In the southern town of Indianola, Mississippi, a number of segregated schools still exist and thrive to this day. Inexpensive private schools for white children were founded in response to federal orders of desegregation between the years of 1964-1972. The stark difference between the resources available for the white schools as oppose to black schools is blatant - run down buildings, spotty internet, and outdated learning materials plague the public schools predominantly attended by black students. I believe this article is relevant to the Parks' photo because it shows us that even though this country has made strides in regards to equality, blatant segregation still exists.

This article in the African American History section of About.com gives a brief biographical summary of Parks' life and civil rights accomplishments. Interestingly, it mentions that Parks' was aware of the divide between black and white people as a child, "I'd see the bus pass every day. But to me, that was a way of life; we had no choice but to accept what was the custom. The bus was among the first ways I realized there was a black world and white world." It is apparent that Parks' would no longer accept what was custom the day she refused to give up her seat on that Montgomery bus. The African American History section on About.com has an extensive collection of historical information, timelines, video clips, facts of African American activists, writers, artists, politicians, and quite a bit of information on Parks and the Civil Rights movement.

This site gives detailed information about the actual events that led up to the decision by Rosa Parks to defy the "back of the bus" rule. It also shows a picture of the bus on which this event took place. Interestingly it covers why "busing" was so integral to the whole idea of racial injustice in the South and the reason why the bus boycott was such a symbolic action towards Civil Rights.

What Rosa Parks did in 1955 was huge for African Americans; however, she was not the first to stand her ground and not get up from her seat. There were others that were brave, but they did not receive the notoriety that Ms. Parks received. Rosa's status as a civil rights activist made her the perfect African American to fight this cause. I say that she was perfect to fight the cause because other black leaders thought that she could gain white support. With white support, along with other black activists including Dr. King a boycott was started. I personally think that instead of a boycott, black people should have worked together to start their own bus company. Instead of trying to prove that blacks were equal to whites, I feel blacks during that time should have been trying to create their own. In my opinion black people would be better off today.

This work describes how one woman sparked the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. The act of Rosa Parks caused not only pride among those who were mistreated and segregated in society, but also created inspiration. Her single act of courage moved many others to speak aloud and stand up for their rights as well. Describes the boycott organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, where African-Americans used every alternative for travel, proving their worth in society as equals. The Montgomery boycott sparked the attention of one very important man in history, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This webpage is presented by PBS. It is a part of series produced by the organization. This webpage is not explicitly about Rosa Parks but it is still very relevant. This webpage presents "A Century of Segregation". It provides incredible background information about the history of our country and monumental events that occurred prior to Rosa Parks and the subsequent bus boycotts. The tabs are presented on a timeline and each tab, when clicked, provides more information such as "March on Washington", "Ku Klux Klan" and "Jackie Robinson". It's important to look at such historical events within a historical context because very seldom are these events isolated.

This short essay explains why the NAACP decided to use Rosa Parks' case to advance the Civil Rights movement rather than others before her. Parks was not the first to refuse to give up her seat to a white person, but she was a good candidate for the fight. As in everything political, image is everything. Parks had a better image than a poor unwed pregnant teen or a poor high school dropout working as a maid.

Did you know that Rosa Parks was not the first woman to refuse to give up her seat to a white passenger? This link is the biography of Claudette Colvin who at the age of fifteen (That's right, 15) refused to give up her seat for a white passenger in Montgomery Alabama. The reason her arrest was not used by National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was because of her age and the fact that she got pregnant around the same time she got arrested. Claudette's incident happened nine months before the better known Rosa Parks incident.

This PBS site about the Jim Crow era shows the very interesting side of how the Supreme Court basically had a crucial role in the establishment, maintenance and the end of Segregation and Jim Crow laws in the US. Presidents did not challenge these laws due in part that some of them agreed with the white supremacy ideology themselves. Congress was largely silent since they did not want to alienate the southern states again.

This site has a few more examples of Jim Crow laws across various states in the US. It also has a reference to the timeline of the segregation period in the US. While we remember that there was segregation in the US, it is sometimes hard to imagine how restrictive this period was until we read examples of different laws in different places. All based on the supreme court statement of "Separate but Equal." When reading these laws, I couldn't help but think of all the restrictions that still exist these days on other communities.

This article gives a good brief history of the Jim Crow laws passed around the united states after the civil war. I found it very interesting that right after the civil war, african americans had a great deal of freedoms in the south and only after the withdrawal of north's troops and a supreme court decision that blacks and whites could be "separate but equal" that the situation got inherently worse over the next twenty years. Not only segregation but voter limits as well as social mobility laws were passed which significantly affected civil rights based on white supremacy ideology.

This website shows that presently in America, we still have to endure some form of segregation and that when the opportunity arises; we use Rosa Parks to make a case. We are able to show through art that we have come a long way in fighting for our rights. Rosa Parks can be cited in anything that is wrong from the perspective of equality or simply fighting for what we think should be right, I have to say that we do not even have to display anger or disappointment, but we can express our opposition through art.

Rosa Parks is a hero! Her unintended action created the basis for the civil right movement and encourage other activist to walk under her shadow to succeed in fighting for equality. African Americans benefited from her action, which was very dignified. Humble beginning, and some much to offer to the world.

Today, we can look back and say: "It was worth it." However, be sure to know that the effort Rosa Parks made was changed many things in the world. Locally, it gave African Americans rights. It eliminated segregation between whites and blacks, it reduced the lynching of blacks by racial organizations. (i.e. Ku Klux Klan) Rosa Parks actions enacted law protecting the civil rights of African Americas and later on served as basis of creating more laws, even as far as protecting women's rights. Even though many things have changed and many bottles have been fought and won; we still are not there. Thank you Rosa Parks for your courage in really trouble times.