Many people know the man named Martin Luther King Jr. How he became a famous African American political figure is evident; he spoke out against laws that treated people of color unfairly. Before his rise to fame there was a key incident that launched him into the spotlight. The person responsible for this incident inspired others to rise to action. Rosa Parks forever changed the way that our society viewed African American's.
             Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, not far for Montgomery on February 4, 1913. (Boyd 1243) Rosa's parents were James and Leona McCauley. (Parks Auto 7) Rosa grew up on a farm in Pine Level. (Parks Auto 5) She grew up under strict guidelines; back when she was a child the black race came second to the whites. As a little girl she was somewhat of a spitfire, not taking physical or mental punishment from anybody. There was an incident when Rosa was very young that depicted the way that she would carry herself as a mature adult. A white boy who was standing near his mother pushed her. When he pushed her, Rosa pushed him back.
             "Why did you put your hands on my child?" the mother asked?
             "Because he pushed me," Rosa said.
             "Don't you know that I could have you put in jail?" the mother asked?
             Rosa answered, "I don't want to be pushed by your son or anyone else."
             Rosa's grandmother always tried to convince her to obey the white man, saying that she should abide by their rules. When Rosa asked why, her grandmother would say that's just the way it is (Metcalf 307), not a sufficient answer to the fireball Rosa. Rosa's father was a carpenter. His job took him away from home often. This coupled with other things led to the separation of Rosa's parents. Rosa's main influence in life came from her grandparents and her mother (Reed 57), as that is whom she lived with. Rosa would sparingly see her father ...