An Analysis of The Important Events from The Life of Rosa Parks

Event Summaries

The Scottsboro Boys seemed to be a very important event in this book because it showed two different sides of the United States: The side that was anti-racial and the side that did everything in its power to not give justice to these boys. When the Scottsboro Case came up in the 1930’s the Jim Crow laws were present and it seemed as if every force was against people of color. The Communist Party was an essential part to the awareness of The Scottsboro Boys case because they worked alongside the NAACP to bring justice and they gained the confidence of the parents of the Scottsboro Boys to organize mass demonstrations and speaking tours.

The CP brought in the interest of local and national authorities and also showed that blacks and whites could work together without violence. At the time, Parks husband, Raymond Parks, was involved in the NAACP which let Parks experience the events that happened during the campaigning for the Scottsboro Boys and it influenced her decision to be a part of the NAACP later on because the efforts of the NAACP and the CP made her realize that equality can be achieved.

Another important series of events were the encounters with bus driver, John F. Blake, who about 10 years later drove the same bus the bus boycott was on. John F. Blake despised African Americans and on the afternoon of November 1943 Parks got the wrath of his hate. Parks had just gotten off of work and noticed that the bus she was about to step on was crammed with African Americans in back; at this time the Jim Crow laws were still in play, so Parks walked to the front door to get a seat.

Not noticing the bus driver, John F. Blake, Parks persisted on getting on the bus but Blake demanded she get off his bus immediately. Parks didn’t move but said “I don’t see the need of getting off the bus if I’m already on it.” Blake grew furious and started tugging on her coat and pushing her down the stairs to get off “his” bus. Parks didn’t struggle but told him I will get off the bus on my own accord and proceeded out the bus door never again boarding a bus Blake drove until December 1, 1955.

Another important event that encouraged Parks during her bus boycott was the Louisiana Boycott in Baton Rouge in June 1953. Blacks in Baton Rouge, under the direction of Reverend T.J. Jemison of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church, boycotted Baton Rouge’s bus system after a white bus driver tried to get an African American passenger arrested for seating in a “whites only” section.

This incident catalyzed the boycott because the passing of the Ordinance 222 said the transportation system is now under a “first come, first served” seating policy and the African Americans in Baton Rouge stood up for what the law said. The boycott was a great success costing Baton Rouge’s bus system $1,600 a day in lost revenue also Jemison gave a list of demands including hiring black bus drivers. Jemison then called off the boycott because of a compromise, Ordinance 251 which reserved the reserved the two front seats for whites and the long backseat for blacks.