Ms. Parks made history in 1955 by defying the order of a Montgomery, Alabama bus driver to give up her seat to a white man. Tired of accepting a segregated public transit system, she refused and was subsequently arrested, jailed, tried, and convicted of disorderly conduct. Her unwillingness to back down mobilized the civil rights community in Montgomery. There, a young minister named Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., organized a boycott of the bus system in response to her trial. Her actions that day helped to spark the modern civil rights movement in the United States, which later achieved notable milestones such as the March on Washington in 1963, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Her simple action led to a chain-reaction of events which materially changed our society.

Major newspapers around the world covered her death. Here are a few notable news articles and editorials:

• USA Today: Parks courage changed nation
• Minneapolis Star Tribune: Parks leaves legacy of peaceful protest
• Detroit Free Press: She showed the world what one person can do
• Washington Post: Bus Ride Shook a Nation's Conscience
• Indianapolis Star: Recalling Ms. Parks and the mighty 'no'
• Houston Chronicle: America is a stronger nation because Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus.

The Hinsdale Public Library has a number of books about the life of Rosa Parks. In addition, one of our subscription databases, the GaleNet Biography Resource Center provides a great deal of information on her life, as well as the lives of countless other notable personalities. To reach the Biography Resource Center, click on the databases link at the top of the library's site and scroll down until you reach the Biography and Genealogy section.
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