Martin Luther Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is an influential letter directed at the clergymen, where he explains his, and his followers work and ideas. Throughout his letter he addresses one of the works that his and his followers partake in, direct action. In paragraph 8 and 9 King states how the tension created by their direct action forces people to negotiate. In paragraph 8 King compares negotiation and direct action, and the purpose of direct action. King states how direct action such as sit-ins and marches will eventually lead to negotiation.…
While the movement was triggered by a series of random sit-ins, the civil rights leaders and the youths were able to strategize using nonviolence as a method of exposing the truth about segregation. By reacting peacefully to the violence they faced by the angry mob, people were moved to call for an end against racial…
“This new approach has been made possible”, he argues, by the Countryside Alliance, which has made "direct action fairly acceptable to people who would consider themselves law-abiding". Like the extract highlights many pressure groups use ‘high profile, mass protests and stunts as a way of getting their message across’ this is because they feel it is the most effective way. However on the other hand there are arguments that suggest direct action undermines democracy in the UK; it argues the civil disobedience creates an unstable, heavily socially manipulated government…
In 1941, A. Philip Randolph, leader of the Negro American Labor Council, initiated a national demonstration by African-Americans in Washington, D.C. The demonstration never occurred, because President Roosevelt issued and congress approved the Executive Order 8802, implementing racial desegregation among armed forces. Although the movement never occurred; the planning for it, and the significance of the movement had a big impact on Black people in the United States during the second world war. The concept of non-violent protest was established through organizing this march. Non-violent protest was an important influence preparing for the Civil Rights and Black Liberation struggles of the 1950s and ‘60s.…
3.) Nonviolent direct action is the process of a mass amount of people in most cases, whom do not use violence to achieve their goals. This has been seen many times in the U.S. from the Montgomery Bus Boycott to anti-Vietnam protests. King says that “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.” (339.)…
b) Direct action is necessary only when opposing parties have tried negotiate, but resulted in no agreement. Therefore, direct action attempts to highlight the problem, creating tension and adding pressure onto the opposing group. Different methods of direct action may be followed, such as Dr. Martin Luther King’s non-violent direct action or Malcolm X’s “any means necessary” direct action.…
King uses logic and evidence to convince the reader about his reason for engaging in the nonviolent campaign. In the beginning, he explains that he is in Birmingham because injustice is prevalent, and that local affiliates had invited him to participate in the nonviolent action. Additionally, he made a promise and when the hour came, he fulfilled that promise. Dr. King is a man of God, and a man of God does not break a promise, especially when one is in need. Dr. King goes on to explain that it is unfortunate that current white power structure has left the African-American community with only one available course of action. He states that, "Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue"(301). Simply put, the African-American community would like to confront the issue with negotiations, but the white moderate is unwilling, and the most effective way to force a community to confront an issue is with a nonviolent direct action. Additionally, Dr. King goes on to state, "Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily"(301). Moreover, Dr. King expresses that Birmingham is one of the most thoroughly segregated cities in the United States. Also, it has a readily known ugly record of brutality. This simply strengthens his argument on the reason for their campaign in Birmingham, and brings in evidence that many people in the country know of the segregation that is so prevalent there. Dr. King backs up the logical course of action that was taken by bringing in evidence to the reader, especially the eight clergymen, showing that they are simply lacking knowledge of what truly is going on in Birmingham, and they misunderstood the true intentions for the nonviolent…
Those who disagreed with racial equality and did not want them to succeed attacked them and attacked their homes (Doc. D). These violent acts helped reveal the corruption that was plaguing the United States in the 1960s. Nonviolence has been shown to work, as African Americans made up a large percentage of the American population during this time, their protests could have had a serious effect on the economy. “This is nonviolence at its peak of power, when it cuts into the profit margin of a business in order to bring about a more just distribution of jobs and opportunities for Negro wage earners and consumers” (Doc. F). This is evidence that nonviolent protest carries a lot of power such that it impacts the flow of…
Nonviolent struggle has been utilized countless times throughout the history of civilization. Contrary to popular belief, many of the world’s greatest wars are fought free of violence. Nonviolent actions offer an alternative approach to conflict resolution; one that does not resort to literal war and prevents blood shedding. The motivation behind these struggles vary, but the desired outcome is always to promote or prevent a change. Conflicts are diverse, and typically they are concerned with social, economic, ethnic, religious, national, humanitarian, and political matters (Sharp, 2005, p. 15).…
A major factor in the success of the movement was the strategy of protesting for equal rights without using violence. Civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. championed this approach as an alternative to armed uprising. Dr. King 's non-violent movement was inspired by his Christian believes lead by the words of Jesus, “I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also (Mathew 5:39).” He was also inspired by the teachings of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, “Truth and Non-Violence”. Gandhi’s contention was always that standing up for oneself, struggling against injustice, prevailing over evil, living with dignity and integrity do not require the willingness to use violence. There are other ways and strategies one can use.…
"You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.” Martin emphasis that the people are left with no other alternative but to take direct action against their oppressors. Direct action incites confrontation without violence. Martin has a more deliberate tone when speaking of direct action, inferring that his actions are priority and needed to be rushed. Well staying purposeful, he makes it clear that “violent tension” is not something he supports but that “constructive non-violent tension which is necessary for…
In 1961, President Kennedy meet with representatives of CORE and other Black organizations to strategize a new way of fighting segregation. Although the President’s interest was only to reduce the negative attention the movement was bringing in the eyes of the international community, the suggestion of registering Black voters empowered the African American community. With the funds provided by the Federal Government, the SNCC strategized making voter registration their top priority. The Southern Regional Council established a new Voter Education Project in Atlanta. Through this projects, field representatives such as Medgar Davis and Robert Moses were able to help register many Black voters. Notwithstanding the progress, this new strategy…
The method of using Non-violent peaceful resistance along with the method of employing violence in the form of self-defense were both strategies used in the fight for Civil Rights from 1954-1977 during the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power Movement. Some people supported the use of violence if necessary while others supported the use of nonviolent resistant. Both factions gained considerable ground alone and together. The decision on what method to use should depend on the situation at hand. Violence even in the form of self-defense should still be the last resort.…
Violent methods of protest were increasingly embraced by African Americans in the Civil Rights movement during the 1950s to 1960s because of frustration caused by the time consuming and ineffectiveness of peaceful non-violence. After the initial hype of non-violence during the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycotts, non-violence eventually lost its influence as it was not yielding the results the African-Americans had hoped for. In addition to this, non-violence was met with police brutality and violence, making it dangerous to be involved in Civil Rights Movements and discouraging the participation in non-violence. Consequently, violent methods were seized by African Americans as they attracted widespread attention and were more effective in achieving short term goals, especially as violence was advocated strongly by figure heads such as Malcolm X and the Black Panthers.…
Significant changes to society are difficult; a great change is usually brought about by a major event. Occasionally, changes can be brought upon peacefully; but most often the changes which are violent are more commonly known. The Civil Rights Movement used a variety of nonviolent methods; whereas what may have sparked this movement (The Attack on Pearl Harbor) was a brutal.…