Politics Rosa Parks Was Born 109 Years Ago Today: Relive the Civil Rights Activist's Inspiring Moments On Dec. 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks was arrested after refusing to move to the back of a bus to accommodate a white passenger By Maria Yagoda Updated on February 4, 2022 11:55 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos 01 of 05 Dec. 1, 1955 Universal History Archive/Getty On Dec. 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, a 42-year-old seamstress named Rosa Parks was arrested after refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger, even after the white bus driver demanded that she do it. After her arrest, Parks was tried and convicted for civil disobedience. 02 of 05 The Start of a Movement Underwood Archives/Getty Parks' arrest led to a year-long bus boycott by Montgomery's Black residents, and eventually the Supreme Court ruling that bus segregation was unconstitutional. 03 of 05 In the News The New York Times On Feb. 23, 1956, a New York Times article reported on the indictment of 115 citizens, including Parks, for boycotting the Montgomery buses. They were arrested on "boycotting charges." The Montgomery Bus Boycott is widely credited for sparking the modern Civil Rights Movement. 04 of 05 One Year Later Getty Parks sat in the front of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, after the Supreme Court ruled segregation illegal on the city bus system on Dec. 21, 1956. 05 of 05 Her Legacy Don Cravens/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty In this iconic photo, Parks waited to board a bus at the end of the boycott on Dec. 26, 1956, with the modern Civil Rights Movement just beginning. Parks died in 2005 after a lifetime of fighting against civil rights injustices.