Rosa Parks Research Paper Outline

Joe Zimmer

3rd Hour

Rosa Parks Research Paper Outline

I.  Introduction

A.  Rosa Parks, inspired by her mother and her childhood experiences, defended her civil rights by refusing to follow Jim Crow laws, and sparked the change in the way African-Americans are viewed today.

II.  Background Info (why they stood for what they stood for)

A.  Background on Rosa Parks

1.  Rosa’s mother, who was a teacher, believed in freedom and equality. She thought that since the emancipation happened, there was no reason to treat African- Americans in the manner they were being treated.

2.  Rosa looked up to her mother and absorbed the values she exemplified as her own and this is the root of all Rosa did and stood for in her life.

B.  Additional background

1.  In Montgomery, where Parks grew up, there were legally enforced segregation laws. Rosa struggled against them for a long time and her chance to rebel finally came when a bus driver told her to give her seat to a white man.

2.  In doing this, Parks made Martin Luther King Jr. a prominent figure and he led protestors in the bus boycott.

III.  Activism (what they stood for)

A.  Segregation (Jim Crow laws)

1.  Rosa had lived in the segregated South for all her life and she had had enough of it. With her mother’s passion for equality, Rosa was one of the few blacks that stood up for what all of them knew was right.

2.  Parks knew that when she refused to stand up on that bus, she was refusing to follow all the ridiculous segregation rules.

3.  There was no more slavery and blacks should have been treated equally then. Not every person was going to accept them, but they should have been treated equal on a technical level. They didn’t even have that and Rosa was needed to bring about an amendment.

B.  Guiding Youth

1.  Parks used her new influence to later in life establish the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development. She wanted to guide our country’s youth so they can find God and prevent further discrimination from happening.

2.  The programs teach children about the civil rights movement, why it was so important, and hopefully inspire them to, in the future, stand up for what they believe is genuinely right.

3.  Rosa was very good at teaching the most important thing of all: awareness. She saw that our future is the children so her program teaches them about truth and equality early in life.

IV.  Changes (how is the world different?)

A.  Bus segregation made unconstitutional

1.  Rosa’s case gets to the Supreme Court and they declare bus segregation unconstitutional.

2.  This may seem small, but it opened the door for other segregation and Jim Crow laws to be abolished and paved the way for African-American voting rights and other civil rights movements.

B.  Showed it was possible for anyone to be a hero

1.  When she made her stand, Rosa Parks was just a working class black woman; back then, that didn’t count for much. But she still stood her ground and made a difference in her society.

2.  Mrs. Parks has let it be known that every day, anybody can make a difference and stand up for what they believe in. She has inspired many people and is a great role model for a young person to look up to.

V.  Conclusion

A.  Rosa became tired of waiting for the world to change on its own, so she revolted against unfair prejudice laws and has made African-Americans equal and inspired many to stand up for justice.

B.  When faced with a situation where wrong and hurtful things are being done, people should follow Rosa Parks’ remarkable example and not be afraid to say or do something to stop them from happening, no matter who they are. For Mrs. Parks has shown marvelously, anyone can be a hero.