Photo courtesy of cnn.com

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks became an important symbol for the civil rights movement by standing up against segregation laws in the south.

Rosa Parks was riding a city bus when she refused to move and sit in the back of the bus for a white man, little did she know that this action would be a major point in ending the segregation laws in the south. Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat, and was later convicted of disorderly conduct. These events caused a 381 day bus boycott to take place which lead to the Supreme Court ruling to desegregate public transportation in Montgomery.