Which African American woman was a civil rights activist and the first to refuse to give up her bus seat in Montgomery?

• A. Rosa Parks
• B. Coretta Scott King
• C. Fannie Lou Hamer
• D. Ida B. Wells

Answer: (A)

Rosa Parks is recognized as a pivotal figure in the civil rights movement, particularly for her courageous act of refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 1, 1955. This act of defiance became a symbol of the struggle against racial segregation in the United States. Parks' refusal to move sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was a key event in the civil rights movement that led to the eventual desegregation of the public transportation system in Montgomery and helped ignite a broader movement for civil rights across the nation.

Other notable figures listed, such as Coretta Scott King, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Ida B. Wells, made significant contributions to civil rights and social justice, but Rosa Parks' specific act of refusing to give up her seat is an iconic moment that marked the beginning of a sustained campaign against discrimination and was pivotal in the history of the civil rights movement.