10 Seemingly Insignificant Choices That Changed The World Forever

2. Rosa Parks' Decision To Sit Down

In 1955 a politically active young seamstress decided to take a stand (metaphorically) and sit on a segregated bus. This was in direct violation of Jim Crow style segregation laws in force at the time, and catapulted the USA into a turbulent decade of social upheaval. The outcome of her decision to refuse to comply with a brutal, unjust, and abhorrent system is still being felt today; the so-called mainstream Civil Rights Movement unfolded following the Montgomery Improvement Association boycott of the buses in support of Rosa Parks. This was the movement which allowed an unknown minister by the name of Martin Luther King Junior to gain prominence. The singular importance of this Parks' decision cannot be understated; it is the key to understanding American history in the post war period. The pervasively sweeping changes which uplifted many communities and politicised many young Americans (including Samuel L. Jackson, Oprah Winfrey and Bob Dylan). The Civil Rights Movement continues to unfold today, albeit with far less explicit campaigns; legislative barriers have fallen, but economic and structural racism remains a persistent problem. This seemingly insignificant decision by a seamstress to sit on a bus has led to monumental historical changes; it has aided to the campaign for equality in America which has culminated in the election of President Obama.