Nine months before Rosa Parks made history, a young African-American girl was physically forced off a bus and into custody after making the same stand for her rights. There are a number of things that kept her case from reaching the nation, but her efforts led to great historical efforts. Take a moment to read about her story:
Here are a few questions to explore:
- Why do we never hear about Claudette Colvin?
- What was her dream? Where did it come from? Did it come true?
- How do we feel about history and how it's written?
- Who are some other heroes who helped pave the way for the accomplishments Civil Rights movement (some that may not always be recognized)?
I don't think we ever hear about Claudette Colvin because she was like the girl who got us prepared for Rosa Parks. She got us ready. I also think that we had never heard about her because they didn't feel like she was a good representaion of what they were trying to accomplish. Her dream was to have the same rights as the white people. All her fire she had was from studying black history month. Her dream did come true, the civil rights movement made it so they were given the same rights as whites. The 14th amendment was what she had on her mind that day, and she paved the way for Rosa Parks.
ReplyDeleteWe probably never hear about Colvin because she was not the right look for the movement. I can see how the fact that she is a teenager could make the face of the boycott less appealing. Teenagers are known for their irresponsibility and child like actions. I think that Rosa Parks was the perfect image for the bus boycott. It’s a lot easier to sympathize with your poor old helpless granny. A granny cannot do any wrong in most of our eyes, so seeing her be pulled off a bus by police just hits our heart in a soft spot. Seeing a strong teenager "set in their ways" doesn't necessarily appeal to everyone. Her dream was to be treated equally under the 14th amendment of the constitution. I am surprised we have never heard about these other cases and I feel very sorry for Colvin because it was she who was really the brave youngster who stood up for her rights.
ReplyDeleteI think Claudette Colvin was just as equally important in the civil rights movement as Rosa Parks was. This brings out one of the reasons that i dislike fame. If Claudette would have been upheld as Rosa Parks was then someone else would have been forgotten as well. There were many individuals involved in the civil rights movement and they were all equally important, so why can't we think of them as a whole instead of focusing on one of the more famous ones such as Martin Luther king, or Rosa Parks, or Malcolm X. In my opinion, I think that all the black and white citizens that participated in the movement were the heroes, they were the ones who were beaten with night sticks, blasted with water houses, and attacked by police canines.
ReplyDeleteWe never heard about Claudette Colvin because of her age, i think. Sometimes adults get credit for thigns they do before a child does and at that time she was a child. Her dream, in my opinion, was the same as all other civi rights activists, she wanted social equality. I dont think she got it right away, and we still don't have social equality, even today. But maybe one day that will be possible, when everyone can love their neighbor. Not just white people respecting black people, but blacks respecting whites as well. Many people have contributed to this cause, many we know and many we've never heard of. But a lot of people and a lot of organizations had to come together to make history possible. Things wouldn't be the same had there not been huge riots and boycotts and sit ins.
ReplyDeleteI believe we don't don't hear about Claudette Colvin because she wasn't what the black activists wanted the public to know about. They did not want to begin a bus boycott and use her as the reason why. This is probably because she was only fifteen, and later became pregnant by a married man. Her dream was to have just as much right on a bus as a white person. This dream came from her constitutional right that she claimed having while they pulled her off of the bus. Her dream did come true, and she lived to see it. I believe history is a great thing to learn, and I love it. However, I do believe that it has a few gaps that should be filled, such as Colvin's action.
ReplyDeleteI believe that one of the main reasons Claudette Colvin did not gain as much fame as Rosa Parks is that she was only 15. No one would have really taken her seriously for her civil rights actions. To people back then, she would have just been considered "childish." Her dream was the same as every other African American being placed under discrimination. She wanted to be equal. I see her dream being no different than Rosa Parks' dream. This makes me concerned for the way history is written. If people who are trying to make a change in history are being ignored only because of their young age, that makes me concerned for the amount of difference i can make in history, being only 17.
ReplyDeleteI think that we never hear about Claudette Colvin because she was a teenager, and I think that her "stunt" would have been seen more as a teenager being rebellious than a stand for civil rights. Because Rosa Parks was older and wiser, her decesion to not give in to racism was one more influential. Claudette Colvin's dream wasnt just a rebellious act, but she also had the intentions to stand up for herself, being that Hatrriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth had a impact on her life. Her dream was to be treated equally. With time it did come true. I think that history along with a lot of things is something that can be taken into a lot of perspectives, I know that instances like this have happened all throughout history, and the fact that Colvin was ignored just proves that everything is fueled by popularity. When I think of Civil Rights I think of people like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, and the little rock nine. I know that there were thousands of people involved of every race, and background that are forgotten.
ReplyDeleteClaudette Colvin was an activist that help start the buss boycotts in the Civil Rights movement. She is not heard about often, because people felt like she was not the face they were looking for to promote the movement. Another part of why she was not used as the head image for the movement, was because she got pregnant by a married man when she was young. Even though she is not well recognized, she helped make her, and many others, American Dream come true. Their dream was freedom, and that everyone would be treated equally. Her dreams came from her life experiences, such as being thrown in jail for refusing to give up her seat, and from her teacher that taught her about the amendments. Many others help make her dream come true, such as the widely knwn Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. There are many others that aren't known very well, that help the movement by accomplishing little tasks, such as sit-ins, and the many others that participated in the buss boycott.
ReplyDeleteClaudette Colvin was the Rosa Parks before Rosa Parks. But she lacked the attitude and the face of a person that could lead the bus boycott. The leaders of the Civil Rights Movement chose Rosa Parks instead of Claudette Colvin, but they had done the same thing for the community. Rosa Parks made headlines but Colvin knew in her heart that she helped to start the boycott. Claudette Colvin shared the same dreams as many African Americans of the 1960s. They dreamed to one day be equal to all the people of this nation. They achieved their goals with flying colors and without bloodshed. History has shown us that many people help for a common goal, but it is only a few that get recognized. In this situtation, Colvin set the bus boycott in motion but it is Rosa Parks who became the face of the movement. Many people could have helped in the Civil Rights Movement that are not recognized. If it wasn't for the thousands of African Americans helping the movement it would have been stopped in its tracks. Those people who decided to walk instead of ride the buses were heroes of future generations that their names will never be known on a national level. But their are some that could be associated with this movement but are many years removed from it. In this case their are some that could have stimulated the movement years before this time. Those like Abraham Lincoln or Frederick Douglas. These two men helped the African Americans of this country realize that all men are created equal and that everyone deserves civil rights.
ReplyDeleteThey didn't hear about Claudette Colvin because she dropped out of sight. She left to New York. They didn't go looking for her and she didn't go looking for them. Her dream was to be treated equally, and have the respect of other races, and to live life with the constitutional right she is entitled to. Her dream was the same as all the other civil rights activists. I don't think she got her dream she wanted right away, but now in this day and age she has the respect of the people as a person and not like some dog that you can boss around. I think the way history is written isn't the best. The facts written about history are never 100% accurate but they are close to it. Some history gets altered through time and we never really know what truely happened. Some heros who are widely known are people like Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King,Jr. and many more.
ReplyDeletePeople of the United States never hear the story of Claudette Colvin because her story is shadowed by and even bigger event involving Rosa Parks. Colvin's actions did not accomplish much while Parks' was known all over the nation and changed the laws of segregation forever. Her dream was like many other African Americans, which was to have equality between blacks and whites. Her dream did not come true when she acted but sparked an even bigger boycott that allowed for her dream to be realized. We see history as a couple of individuals that changed the ways of life, when it is a lot more than that. There are many, many people that get involved in helping change the normal way of life but only a few are ever recognized for it. Colvin started the boycott but did not accomplish much toward the movement, then Rosa Parks started a bigger boycott, putting the movement into motion and therefore she is the one who is recognized for it, not Colvin. Although Parks is more famous and well known for the Civil Rights movement, Claudette Colvin she have been recognized in history as the person that sparked the massive bus boycott that was to come.
ReplyDeleteMost of what we know about history comes from what we're taught in school. Although the arrest of Claudette and the local movement made it easier for Rosa Parks to become famous, it didn't work that way for Colvin. The story of Grandmotherly Rosa Parks being arrested is a little different from the story of a 15-year old girl who is arrested while yelling about her constitutional rights. Of course it was wrong for either of them to be arrested, but I think Rosa Parks better symbolizes the Civil Rights Movement; passive resistance was one of the key principles of the Movement.
ReplyDeleteAs the article mentioned, telling history so that it seems like change was caused by one extraordinary person doesn't tell the whole story. But I don't believe every minor person should be singled out; teachers and historians should, however, put more emphasis on how these famous people fit into the whole situation.
Claudette's dream of equality for all people is pretty much the dream of all who were involved with the Civil Rights Movement; I believe it's come true too. Fame wasn't sought after by any of these heroes and Colvin isn't too crushed; as she said, it was worth it for her just to see Obama become President.
I believe Claudette Colvin was not as recognized as Rosa Parks because back then it was harder to look up to a fifteen year old girl rather than an older, wiser women.
ReplyDeleteClaudette Colvin's dream was to have the same rights as anyone when intervening in everyday activities. She wanted to help the African Americans during this time period get the same privileges as anyone else. I believe that she was trying to proove a point that anything is possible, and to believe in your actions. I dont really understand why she was disregarded. I have never heard of Claudette Colvin until now. And she pretty much did the exact same thing as Rosa Parks. Some civil rights heroes than I am familiar with is Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks.
-Andrew R
We may not hear about Colvin for several reasons. Nixon was right in saying that activists may not have chosen her because of her pregnancy with an older married man; such a persona would not represent the cause in a positive way. She also could have been denied the fame because not enough tension had been brewing in the south for a refusal to give up a seat. As the article explains, Colvin "threw the stone in the water and forced them to jump in and think about what they had to do." Had she not refused to move, perhaps Rosa Park's efforts would have been ignored. Also, had Colvin not acted, the boycott following Park's efforts may not have panned out as expected.
ReplyDeleteColvin's dream was simply to see her constitutional rights upheld by the law, rather than denied. In her school class, she was inspired by the freedoms and liberties granted to "all" people in the Constitution. I think this dream came true after all, considering all people are now protected under the constitution.
History tends to only give credit to those who were widely recognized as influential, rather than those that actually made a difference. Watson and Crick were credited with discovering DNA and its structure, yet Rosalind Franklin was the one responsible for providing the pictures that made Watson and Crick's discovery possible.
The real heroes of the Civil Rights movement, beyond recognizable figures, are all of the people who took a stand and fought for what was right. I am sure that Colvin's story is not a unique one; several many more unknown people surely made an impact on civil rights.
the reason why we never hear about claudette colvin is that she was kind of put aside by the people who ran the bus boy cotts for rosa parks. they also said he getting pregnant was a problem as well. she was never nationalize like Rosa parks was. Her dream was just like any others to be equal and it was from her teacher and harriet tubman that gave her the idea of not moving from her seat. The way we feel is like its complete when its really not because we do not know the future and also we do not want to recognize all the little acts and names that help start different movments that later became a big deal in our nations history. well i say Aberham lincoln he was the one person who started the whole civil rights movement with his Emancipation proclamation. claming the to free the slaves in the south in the civil war. many have taken the steps down the same path as this man in civil rights but they have also taken it further than he ever could.
ReplyDeleteWe never heard about Claudette Colvin because the civil rights leaders didn't really want us to hear about her. They didn't believe that she was the right person to build their movement around. She was too young, and wasn't exactly the most moral person, and so they decided that she wasn't the right person. Her dream was to have her rights recognized, which she obtained. Sometimes, you can't think that just because something was historically important, that it was the first time or the only time that it happened. For example, Charles Lindburg was not the first person that flew across the Atlantic, but since he was the first to do it solo, it was more important than previous people that did it, just like Rosa Parks.
ReplyDeleteClaudette Colvin was the first African-American to not give up her seat on a bus, not Rosa Parks. We never hear about Colvin because she was not the clean person that the people needed to start a bus boycott. She was just a little girl and was not able to oversee a bus boycott. She did eventually accomplish her goal of having integrated buses with the help of Rosa Parks though. I feel though that history should record all of the story and not just the parts that look good or the parts that are more important.
ReplyDeleteColvin was like the stepping stone for the Montgomery bus boycotts. She was only 15 yrs old when she stood up for her rights and was sent to jail. They say that she probably didnt get the recognition for her actions, because of her age. She was only 15 and it is hard to make a public hero out of a teenager. Her dream was like many other African Americans during that time period. All she wanted was the basic rights and freedoms promised to all. History is often written from a certain point of view. Like during the Roman Empire's time they were the only ones who had a written copy of the history. So they made it sound like they were doing what was right, and made themselves look superior to all the others. I think that history can be very biased. Im not aware of any heroes from the civil rights movement, that arent already recognized.
ReplyDeleteColvin should have been more recognized for her actions than she was. As it is said, however, she wasn't "the right look" for the movement. She was a teenager, while Parks was the grandmother that people needed. Colvin's age stopped her from getting more recognition because she was already suspected of going against the rules as a teenager. She wanted the same rights as Parks and the rest of the people who were beaten in the streets for doing what they felt was right. Some people are famous now, including King, Malcolm X, and even some other not always recognized people, Including W.E.B. Dubois and Booker T. Washington.
ReplyDeleteClaudette Colvin was not known to anyone because of her age. No one would ever think of a 15 year old standing up for her rights, and that could also be partly why she wasn't noticed. Her dream was wanting the bus to allow to sit where ever she wants because its her rights to be able to. I think history is pretty boring, I'm not going to lie, but it is useful to us so that we won't make those miskakes again. There are probably many people who assisted in this civil right cause that we do not know about much today.
ReplyDeletePoor ole Claudette Colvin, she was never recognized for her bravery as a young child. Her actions on the bus that day in 1955 are still to this day over-shadowed by those of Rosa Parks. I think the main reason that Claudette is not highly known is beacause she was too young. A child being bossed around to get out of a seat was not as significant as an actual adult being ordered and choosing not to do so. Having a full grown woman who had been living through such turmoil for a while refuse to give into the hatred of others seems to have more depth behind it. Claudette was probably hurt at first to see that her actions were over-viewed by Rosa Parks' but in the end I believe she just wanted to see justice and equality. Since she is still living I would say she has been able to see that and much more of how society has changed and people along with it.
ReplyDeleteI think that we never hear about Claudette Colvin because she was only a teenager. Rosa Parks, on the other hand, was a grown adult when she contributed to the civil rights movement. Colving and Parks seem to have had about the same dream. They both wanted equal rights for African Americans and white people. They both wanted to be able to sit on the bus with everyone else. History usually picks only a few people who contribute to certain things, such as the Civil Rights movement, but leave out other people who may have been just as important. This is why Colvin is not heard of nearly as much as Rosa Parks is, even though they did basically the same thing.
ReplyDeleteWe have never heard of Claudette Colvin because when she was boycotting she was only 15. I think that if she was older that she would of gotten more recognition. I also think that if she wouldn't of gotten pregnant that she would of been the face of most of the boycotts and would have been more recognized. I think that her dream was to one day see equality. We all know that civil rights activist wanted this. And they knew that it wasn't going to come right away. They knew that it would come over time. I also see that she was very excited to see that we have an African American as president. She is happy that she was alive to see it. I think that we still have not reached total social equality. I hope that one day that everyone can get along and respect each other. Martin Luther King jr. to me is a great hero in this time because he lead everyone and helped move the movement along. He to me is the biggest hero of this time because everyone followed him and listened to him. He put all the marches and sit ins together and knew that one day they would work and gain social equality.
ReplyDelete-Ryan Wat
I think that the event of Colvin Claudette wasn't widely noticed or looked upon because she was somewhat of a foreshadow of what would happen with Rosa Parks in the future. I think that her main dream or goal was to be equal with the opposite race and for her constitutional rights to be practiced among her race. Her dream was a very similar dream to the many people who lived during the hard and cruel times of the civil rights movement such as Martin Luther King Jr. I think that many times history is overlooked and we the audience only focus on what is given to us to read or what was talked about widely. A lot of us don't really look past into what was given to us and we don't make our own observations on history that we don't know about. A lot of relevant and important history is overlooked today but it shouldn't. Cases such as with Claudette Colvin should be widely analyzed and taken with great honor. She was a hero in my opinion and without her or without many like her who had the same dream, the Civil Rights movement may have not had a major effect on our society today!
ReplyDeleteWe never heard of Cluadette Colvin because when she was dragged off the bus, nobody knew what to do about it. However, when Rosa Parks got arrested for the same thing everybody was ready for something like this to happen and had something planned to answer back with. Claudette did not get credit because nobody was prepared for what she had done. Her dream was to be free to do what se wanted just like the white people. She wanted to see someone in charge that she feels will make things better for her. Her dream came from her heart because she really wanted that, not only for her but her children and the rest of the people going through the same thing. I guess her dream came true when Obama became President, though I feel that having a black president is not going to be any different than a white president. People look at Obama as life changing miracle, when he really just is another man trying to run our country differently than before just to make it look like he is making a difference. History in itself is something we look at as a problem solver. We look back then and see the mistakes or solutions they came up with and try to incorporate it into life today. Sorry i did not have time to do the last question.
ReplyDelete~Lindsey Brown~