How Did Martin Luther King Jr Contribute To A Nonviolent Movement
The Civil Rights movement that was initiated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a result of needed change within our society. Dr. King believed that these changes could take place without the use of force and carried out by nonviolent actions. Dr. King began a movement that initiated civil disobedience in order to bring about a legal change within the society. Many of the clergymen that associated with Dr. King saw validity in some of his statements in his speeches and the efforts for nonviolence. However, these clergymen did not necessarily agree that a nonviolent approach would bring about the necessary events that would provide a means for a legal change to the civil rights of African Americans. Although the clergymen disagreed that a nonviolent approach would be successful, King was determined to prove them wrong. Despite the numerous violent attacks toward African Americans, police brutality, and multiple bombings of African American’s houses King remained calm. King’s determination, perseverance, and courage is what led to his success in the Civil Rights Movement. His
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leadership in this movement brought about the necessary changes that would make unjust laws just for all Americans, whether of African American descent or not.
According to Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., there are four basic steps to any nonviolent campaign. The first step of this action is “the collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive” (238). There are many different facts that Dr. King collected while in Birmingham. Some of the facts that King collected were the ways in which African-Americans were treated and different actions of police brutality. There have been “more unsolved bombings of negro homes and churches in Birmingham than any city in this nation” (239). During one of the most influential civil rights protests, citizens were met by violent attacks by the police. During some of these attacks, weapons included police dogs or high-pressure fire hoses. It was clear that many injustices were happening toward the activist, especially in Birmingham, where being black meant being worth less than a
person.
Dr. King’s second step to any nonviolent campaign is “negotiation” (238). King began to meet with different businesses and authorities around town to negotiate with them to take down all hateful and racist signage posted throughout Birmingham. During these meetings King, as well as other leaders of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, convinced the business leaders to take down the signs. In return for this, the demonstrations that King was supporting would be stopped. These demonstrations included various boycotts, such as bus boycotts, business boycotts, and sit-ins. While the demonstrations stopped, the business leaders refused to live up to their promises.
King’s third step to any nonviolent campaign is “self-purification” (238). King was aware of the difficulties going on in Birmingham at this time so he decided to go through a self-purification process. This self-purification system included various workshops and seminars that promoted non-violence. Some questions that the people who went through this self-purification process, had to continually ask themselves were whether they could “accept blows without retaliating” and “endure the ordeals of jail” (239). After many workshops, the group finally decided that they would be ready for demonstrations. Time after time, King’s people had to postpone their demonstrations. Originally the demonstration was to take place at the Easter holiday, a widely commercial holiday. This would allow for a direct action to take place that would hurt the merchants. However, this was in too close of proximity to the upcoming elections. Dr. King and his followers then decided that they did not want a demonstration to interfere with any issues of the elections, so they postponed any direct action until after elections were held.
King’s fourth and final step to any nonviolent campaign is “direct action” (238). For some it might be confusing why you would choose direct action such as marches or sit-ins, but according to King, “. . . this is the purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension within a community that has constantly refused to negotiate that the community is forced to then confront the issue. Direct action seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored” (240). King goes on to compare the kind of tension he plans to create to the tension Socrates describes that will help us to “rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis. . .” (240). This comparison allows the reader to realize that King plans on fighting an intellectual war against racism.
leadership in this movement brought about the necessary changes that would make unjust laws just for all Americans, whether of African American descent or not.
According to Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., there are four basic steps to any nonviolent campaign. The first step of this action is “the collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive” (238). There are many different facts that Dr. King collected while in Birmingham. Some of the facts that King collected were the ways in which African-Americans were treated and different actions of police brutality. There have been “more unsolved bombings of negro homes and churches in Birmingham than any city in this nation” (239). During one of the most influential civil rights protests, citizens were met by violent attacks by the police. During some of these attacks, weapons included police dogs or high-pressure fire hoses. It was clear that many injustices were happening toward the activist, especially in Birmingham, where being black meant being worth less than a
person.
Dr. King’s second step to any nonviolent campaign is “negotiation” (238). King began to meet with different businesses and authorities around town to negotiate with them to take down all hateful and racist signage posted throughout Birmingham. During these meetings King, as well as other leaders of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, convinced the business leaders to take down the signs. In return for this, the demonstrations that King was supporting would be stopped. These demonstrations included various boycotts, such as bus boycotts, business boycotts, and sit-ins. While the demonstrations stopped, the business leaders refused to live up to their promises.
King’s third step to any nonviolent campaign is “self-purification” (238). King was aware of the difficulties going on in Birmingham at this time so he decided to go through a self-purification process. This self-purification system included various workshops and seminars that promoted non-violence. Some questions that the people who went through this self-purification process, had to continually ask themselves were whether they could “accept blows without retaliating” and “endure the ordeals of jail” (239). After many workshops, the group finally decided that they would be ready for demonstrations. Time after time, King’s people had to postpone their demonstrations. Originally the demonstration was to take place at the Easter holiday, a widely commercial holiday. This would allow for a direct action to take place that would hurt the merchants. However, this was in too close of proximity to the upcoming elections. Dr. King and his followers then decided that they did not want a demonstration to interfere with any issues of the elections, so they postponed any direct action until after elections were held.
King’s fourth and final step to any nonviolent campaign is “direct action” (238). For some it might be confusing why you would choose direct action such as marches or sit-ins, but according to King, “. . . this is the purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension within a community that has constantly refused to negotiate that the community is forced to then confront the issue. Direct action seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored” (240). King goes on to compare the kind of tension he plans to create to the tension Socrates describes that will help us to “rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis. . .” (240). This comparison allows the reader to realize that King plans on fighting an intellectual war against racism.