39–006

1 Rita Dove, The Torchbearer, Time Magazine, Volume 153, June 14, 1999.

2 Id.

3Gayle v. Browder, 352 U.S. 903 (1956). 

109TH CONGRESS REPORT " HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ! 1st Session 109–193

RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROSA LOUISE PARKS’ REFUSAL 

TO GIVE UP HER SEAT ON THE BUS AND THE SUBSEQUENT DESEGREGATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETY 

JULY 27, 2005.—Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER, from the Committee on the Judiciary, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H. Con. Res. 208]

The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 208) recognizing the 50th anniversary of Rosa Louise Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on the bus 

and the subsequent desegregation of American society, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and 

recommend that the concurrent resolution be agreed to. 

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

The purpose of H. Con. Res. 208 is to recognize the 50th anniversary of Rosa Louise Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on the bus 

and the subsequent desegregation of American society. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR THE LEGISLATION

Fifty years ago this coming December, Rosa Louise Parks 

through one act of defiance inspired a town, a movement, and a nation to hold true to the ideals and principles upon which our nation 

was founded. Her single act is considered by many to be the beginning of the civil rights movement.1

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in 

the ‘‘colored section’’ of a bus to a white man in the town of Montgomery, Alabama.2 Her arrest led to the 381-day Montgomery Bus 

Boycott, legal challenges to the State of Alabama’s and the City of 

Montgomery’s segregation laws relating to public transportation 

systems, and subsequently to the desegregation of Montgomery, 

Alabama.3 The Supreme Court case affirming the unconstitutionVerDate jul 14 2003 07:17 Aug 05, 2005 Jkt 039006 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR193.XXX HR193
2

4 318 F. 2d 1, (5th Cir. 1963). 

ality of Montgomery’s segregation laws led to other landmark civil 

rights cases, such as U.S. v. City of Jackson, Mississippi.4

Since that day, Rosa Parks has continued to work to eliminate 

all forms of discrimination, ensuring that all Americans are afforded equal protection under all laws. She serves as an inspiration 

and as a reminder to all Americans of what the protections afforded by the Constitution mean. Through her act of defiance, Rosa 

Parks reminded all Americans that one person can make a difference. Her action and the civil rights movement it helped spawn, 

have expanded the promise of equality to our Constitution guarantees to every American. 

HEARINGS

The Committee on the Judiciary held no hearings on H. Con. 

Res. 208. 

COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

On July 27, 2005, the Committee met in open session and ordered favorably reported the concurrent resolution without an 

amendment by voice vote, a quorum being present. 

VOTE OF THE COMMITTEE

In compliance with clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, the Committee notes that there were no 

recorded votes during the Committee consideration of H. Con. Res. 

208. 

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, the Committee reports that the findings 

and recommendations of the Committee, based on oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the descriptive portions of this report. 

NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY AND TAX EXPENDITURES

Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives is inapplicable because this legislation does not provide new 

budgetary authority or increased tax expenditures. 

COMMITTEE COST ESTIMATE

In compliance with clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, the Committee believes that the concurrent resolution will have no cost for the current fiscal year 2005, 

and that there will be no cost incurred in carrying out H. Con. Res. 

208 for the next five fiscal years. 

PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The Committee states that pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII 

of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the purpose of H. 

Con. Res. 208 is to recognize the 50th anniversary of Rosa Louise 

3

Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on the bus and the subsequent 

desegregation of American society. 

CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives does not apply as this is a concurrent resolution. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

The following discussion describes the bill as reported by the 

Committee. 

The first preambular clause provides that most historians consider December 1, 1955, to mark the beginning of the civil rights 

movement; 

The second preambular clause provides that December 1, 1955, 

is the date that Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in the ‘‘colored section’’ of the bus to a white man;

The third preambular clause provides that Rosa Parks was born 

on February 4, 1913, as Rosa Louise McCauley to James and Leona 

McCauley in Tuskegee, Alabama; 

The fourth preambular clause provides that Rosa Louise Parks 

was educated in Pine Level, Alabama, until the age of 11, when she 

enrolled in Montgomery Industrial School for Girls and then the 

Alabama State Teachers College’s High School; 

The fifth preambular clause provides that on December 18, 1932, 

Rosa Louise McCauley married Raymond Parks and they settled in 

Montgomery, Alabama; 

The sixth preambular clause provides that both Raymond and 

Rosa Parks worked in the Montgomery, Alabama branch of the 

NAACP, where Rosa served as a secretary and youth leader and 

Raymond as an active member; 

The seventh preambular clause provides that on December 1, 

1955, Rosa Louise Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her 

seat in the ‘‘colored’’ section of the bus to a white man on the orders of the bus driver because the ‘‘white’’ section was full; 

The eighth preambular clause provides that Rosa Louise Parks’ 

arrest led African Americans and others to boycott the Montgomery 

city bus line until they were desegregated; 

The ninth preambular clause provides that the 381-day Montgomery bus boycott encouraged others across the nation to organize 

and protest equal rights; 

The tenth preambular clause provides that the civil disobedience 

displayed by Rosa Louise Parks and others resulted in legal action 

challenging Montgomery, Alabama’s segregated public transportation system, which led to the November 13, 1956 Supreme Court 

decision in Gayle v. Browder that affirmed a district court ruling 

that Montgomery’s segregation laws denied African Americans of 

equal protection and thus were unconstitutional; 

The eleventh preambular clause provides that in the years following the bus boycott Rosa Louise Parks moved to Detroit, Michigan and continued to advance the civil rights movement, including 

working in the office of Congressman John Conyers from 1965 to 

1988 and establishing the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for 

Self Development, a 501(c)(3) non-for-profit organization, in 1987; 

The twelfth preambular clause provides that Rosa Louise Parks 

has been commended for her work in the civil rights movement, 

4

garnering recognition such as the NAACP’s Springarn Medal in 

1979, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award, the Nonviolent Peace 

Prize in 1980, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996, and the 

Congressional Gold Medal in 1999; 

The thirteenth preambular clause provides that 2005 is the 50th 

anniversary of Rosa Louise Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on 

the bus and an occasion to recognize her courage, dignity, and determination as she confronted injustice and inequality. 

The resolve clause expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that it: 

(1) recognize and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Rosa 

Louise Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on the bus and the 

subsequent desegregation of American society; 

(2) encourage the people across the Nation to recognize and 

celebrate this anniversary and the subsequent legal victories 

that sought to eradicate segregation in all of American society; 

(3) endeavor to work with the same courage, dignity, and determination exemplified by Rosa Louise Parks to address modern day injustice. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, the Committee notes H. Con. Res. 208 

makes no changes to existing law.

Æ