They Broke The Rules Trivia Quiz

Answer: Claudette Colvin

Claudette felt that she shouldn't have to give up her seat because she had paid her bus fare just like everyone else. Unfortunately, two policemen handcuffed and arrested her for disturbing the peace, violating the segregation law and assaulting a police officer.

Some on the bus said she reacted violently when handcuffed, but Colvin refuted that. The first two offenses were dropped but the third, the assault, remained. Fortunately for Claudette, her pastor bailed her out of jail. She went to court to protest segregation on city buses and was part of a court settlement that eventually led to desegregation of buses in Montgomery.

Answer: Malala Yousafzai

Malala's love of learning developed early as a child growing up in the Taliban-controlled Swat Valley, now known as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. Girls were banned from going to school under Taliban control and that didn't sit well with Malala who supported education for all women.

Her father was one of her main supporters. Not one to shy away from media, her outspokenness caught the eye of the Taliban. In 2012, while riding home from school on an bus, the Taliban boarded the bus and shot the teenager in the head, resulting in life-threatening injuries.

She relocated to England in an effort to not only heal but continue her education. In 2014, at age 17, Malala Yousafzai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the youngest person to win that award.

Answer: Lucy Stone

The eighth of nine children, Lucy recognized at a young age that her father controlled everything, including his wife's earnings, and that bothered her. She was determined to go to college and she did, earning a degree in 1847. She later supported the Women's National Loyal League, founded by fellow activists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

The league sought to abolish slavery. Their efforts were rewarded when the Thirteenth Amendment was enacted on 1865, officially ending slavery in America.

Answer: Liu Xiaobo

Liu Xiaobo was well-educated, having received a BA degree as well as MA and PhD degrees. Politically active for many years, Liu went on a hunger strike in 1989 at Tiananmen Square to protest martial law. His political stance as opposer of the ultra-national techniques used by the Communist Chinese Party did not bode well for him.

In 2009 Liu stood trial for "inciting subversion of state power" for his political beliefs that were not in line with China's Communist Party. Liu believed in basic human rights and helped to establish Charter 08, a manifesto advancing the views of democratic elections and freedom of speech.

He died of cancer in 2017 after receiving medical parole.

Answer: Miep Gies

Born Hermine Santruschitz but known affectionately as Miep, she did what many were afraid to do during Hitler's occupation of Amsterdam: she hid the Frank family and stayed with them for the duration of the time they spent in the upstairs attic of an office building.

It was Miep who found Anne Frank's diary after the Frank family had been discovered by the Grüne Polizei, or German police. She later gave it to Otto since Anne had died while being held in a concentration camp. Known as "The Diary of Anne Frank" or "The Diary of a Young Girl," this book has been one of the most widely read in the world.

It provides the reader with a glimpse into the confined world of a teenage girl with hopes and dreams.

Answer: Cesar Chavez

Protesting for legal rights of farm laborers and being imprisoned for one's beliefs takes a strong commitment. Such was the case for Cesar Chavez. He grew up Mexican-American in the United States. School was difficult for Cesar since the lessons were taught in English and his family spoke Spanish.

His protests to create better working conditions for Mexican-Americans like himself landed him in jail. Cesar's peaceful protests in favor of fair wages and working conditions for Mexican-American farm laborers resulted in changes that would positively affect the lives of many like the Chavez family.

Answer: Eleanor Roosevelt

After her husband, Franklin, was elected to the U.S. presidency, Eleanor Roosevelt fulfilled the duties of First Lady (1932 to 1945). However, she yearned to do more. She had volunteered for the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society during World War I. Later she unsuccessfully ran for Vice-President of the U.S. but continued with her advocacy of women's rights and racial equality. Eleanor fell under FBI scrutiny for her political views, although she was never arrested.

Answer: Sam Walton

Sam Walton's belief that even small communities can benefit from having a large discount store nearby was not widely accepted at the time he founded Wal-Mart in 1962. He knew that volume and discount prices could benefit smaller towns because there wasn't much competition from other retailers.

It worked. In 1983 Walton founded Sam's Wholesale Club, now Sam's Club, a wholesale outlet for merchandise and food. It remains one of the biggest corporations in the world.

Answer: Frances Perkins

Frances was quite a formidable women. In the early 1900s she became executive secretary of the Consumers' League of New York. This position allowed her to lobby for improved working conditions for female workers and children and better wages. The Great Depression loomed large but that didn't stop her.

She continued to fight for the right of workers by lobbying for unemployment compensation and limiting the hours employees worked each week. In 1938 she helped draft the Social Security Act. She was Secretary of labor form 1933 to 1945.

Answer: Martin Luther

Martin Luther was outspoken but not all of his beliefs coincided with the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church. He questioned the church's stance on indulgences(full or partial forgiveness of sins). He accused some of the higher church leaders of corruption and even questioned the need for a Pope.

This was included in his 95 Theses, intended to open a discussion with the Catholic Church. It did not work as he had planned. What it did do is start a movement that eventually led to the Protestant Reformation and the establishment of the Lutheran Church.