The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
Jeanne Theoharis
A book-length account for readers who want more detail.
1955–1956 · Montgomery, Alabama, and Detroit, Michigan
Rosa Parks & the Montgomery bus boycott
Civil rights & equality
Photo credit
John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped/resized. Adaptations use the same license.Photographs are cropped to fit. Photo dates and original images are available through the source credits.
Rosa Parks’s arrest after refusing to surrender her bus seat became a catalyst for Montgomery’s organized bus boycott. Her activism extended far beyond that moment, including decades of civil rights work in Alabama and Michigan. The biography and documentary challenge the idea that her protest was accidental.
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The Story
When1955–1956
WhereMontgomery, Alabama, and Detroit, Michigan
In this collection5 resources
Start here.
Choose a book, screen story or audio episode from this case’s collection.
The Rosa Parks Story (2002)
Angela Bassett · Television Dramatization
A dramatized interpretation; compare it with the reporting.
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Where are they now?
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Nicknames & media names
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Family Tree
The family relationships behind the story, gathered in one place.
Selected relationships only—not a complete genealogy. A family connection does not imply involvement in a crime.
FAMILY SNAPSHOT
Parents
- James McCauley
- Leona McCauley
Rosa Parks
Spouse / Former Spouse
- Raymond Parks
Sources & Further Reading
About These Family Trees
These original diagrams summarize relationships reported by the linked sources. Community genealogy sites can contain errors and are not proof of identity or parentage. Full trees or record images may require an account. We omit speculative relationships, private contact details and unrelated living descendants.
Sources reviewed September 15, 2026. Suggest a sourced correction.
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Blogs & Essays
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From the journal
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Blogs & essays
1 itemsAbout these sources
Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.
Library of Congress · Timeless
Looking Back on the Bus Boycott
An essay draws on Rosa Parks’s papers to place the bus boycott within her longer history of activism.
Outside CommentaryAccess Varies · Check Source
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Books
CONTINUE YOUR READING
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Books
1 itemsJeanne Theoharis
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
A book about this story. See the linked source for the author, edition and publication details.
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Movies & TV
Movies
2 itemsAbout these sources
Watch links, previews and title listings are identified below. Rentals or subscriptions may be required.
Film / television guide
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (2022)
Documentary inspired by Theoharis’s biography. The publisher’s page identifies the film connection; it is not a full-film stream.
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Search Amazon · paid linkViewing options & film details
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
Angela Bassett · Television Dramatization
The Rosa Parks Story (2002)
Angela Bassett portrays Rosa Parks in a scripted television film. The Library of Congress documents the film in its Parks collection. This biographical dramatization is separate from archival recordings and Parks’s own words.
Fiction / DramatizationTitle & Source Information
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TV & documentaries
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Audiobooks
Listen to a book connected to this story. Each edition below is matched to its author and audiobook source.
Audiobook
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
Unabridged
Audio edition verified at the linked source. The Amazon button is a title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed.
Edition checked 2026-10-12
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Fiction Work
Fiction Work
Browse all →Scripted stories and fictional inspirations. Scenes, characters, and dialogue can differ from the record.
Angela Bassett · Television Dramatization
The Rosa Parks Story (2002)
Angela Bassett portrays Rosa Parks in a scripted television film. The Library of Congress documents the film in its Parks collection. This biographical dramatization is separate from archival recordings and Parks’s own words.
Fiction / DramatizationTitle & Source Information
Last Checked: · Access may changeReport a Link (Email)
View on Amazon · paid linkViewing options & film details
DVD · Check current price and availability on Amazon.
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Podcasts
Podcasts
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Social Media
BRING YOUR PERSPECTIVE
Where would you start?
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Talk about sources and storytelling with care for the people affected. A documentary, a book and a court record serve different purposes.
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News & Reading
More Reading & Audio
5 sourcesExplore book records, previews, library audiobooks and selected documents. Access labels distinguish free material from library loans and paid subscriptions.
Library of Congress · Free Article
The Bus Boycott | Explore | Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words | Exhibitions at the Library of Congress
Publicly accessible source material and historical context related to this story.
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Library of Congress · Free Article
Browder v. Gayle, Class Action Lawsuit | The Bus Boycott | Explore | Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words | Exhibitions at the Library of Congress
Publicly accessible source material and historical context related to this story.
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OverDrive · Library Access
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks — Young Readers’ Edition — Ebook
Jeanne Theoharis. Related reading for Rosa Parks & the Montgomery bus boycott. Check participating libraries for this edition. Borrowing requires an eligible library card; availability and waits vary.
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Google Books · Catalog / Availability
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
Jeanne Theoharis. Related reading for Rosa Parks & the Montgomery bus boycott. Book information and any pages made available by Google Books; this is not a promise of full-text access.
View Catalog & Access Options ↗Last Checked: · Access may changeReport a Link (Email)
Google Books · Catalog / Availability
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks — Young Readers’ Edition
Jeanne Theoharis. Related reading for Rosa Parks & the Montgomery bus boycott. Book information and any pages made available by Google Books; this is not a promise of full-text access.
View Catalog & Access Options ↗Last Checked: · Access may changeReport a Link (Email)
Reading Access Notes
Search reviewed 2026-09-16. Sources searched: Google Books, Internet Archive, Open Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atavist Magazine, Google Books (case/title search), Scribd, Everand, OverDrive and hoopla (combined title search). Search indexing is incomplete; this is not an exhaustive list of the web. Access can change by edition, country and library membership. Library loans may require sign-in or a wait. Everand titles may need a paid subscription; a trial is not permanent free access. Scribd documents are third-party uploads, with uploader details noted where checked. We link to source pages and write our own descriptions rather than reproducing copyrighted books.
A separate Texas Monthly search was blocked by the publisher’s automated-access rules and could not be verified.
News & reporting
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Newspaper clippings
0 itemsFeatured newspaper clipping
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Internet Archive
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Court & Files
Court records & documents
0 itemsAbout these sources
Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.
No accessible court document has been verified for this case yet.
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Roads Traveled
Roads Traveled
Open case map →Montgomery, Alabama, and Detroit, Michigan. The map provides regional context; individually verified historical places are listed below.
Where this story happened
Montgomery, Alabama, and Detroit, Michigan
Highlighted states show regional context, not exact addresses. Ontario and regions outside the contiguous U.S. are listed by name.
Explore the interactive case atlas →Boundaries: Natural Earth · public domain
Location research & source notes
This case was added after the September 14 map-source review and has not yet been checked against those sources.
Civil rights history · public museum
Rosa Parks Museum
252 Montgomery Street, Montgomery, AL 36104
Troy University’s museum stands at the site of Rosa Parks’s 1955 arrest. Its exhibits interpret her life, the bus boycott and the wider civil rights movement. The museum opened in 2000.
Planning a visit
Explore This Place →Public museum with ticketed admission. Check current hours, midday closures and group-booking requirements on the official website. For a multi-attraction pass, confirm included venues and redemption instructions before booking.
Sources reviewed September 14, 2026. Check access information before traveling.
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Positive Outcome
Positive Outcome
1 itemsAbout these sources
Documented laws, advocacy and reforms. Listing a change does not claim it is effective or universally supported.
Court ruling and organized boycott · National Park Service
1956: Montgomery buses desegregated
The boycott and Browder v. Gayle litigation ended legally enforced segregation on Montgomery’s buses. Parks was not a plaintiff in Browder; Aurelia Browder, Susie McDonald, Claudette Colvin and Mary Louise Smith brought that challenge.
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Social Media
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