Slavery: The Power Of Protest In The Civil Rights Movement

The Power of Protest

Slavery, the ultimate form of discrimination and injustice between whites and blacks, was abolished in the year 1865 with the passing of the thirteenth amendment. Almost 100 years after the thirteenth amendment was passed, racism and discrimination against African Americans continued to exist in the United States. After the passing of Jim Crow Laws, which were meant to segregate relations between whites and blacks, the Civil Rights Movement was sparked. Many courageous and angered activists partook in acts of civil disobedience to help their voices be heard, like Rosa Parks not giving up her seat on a bus to a white man, or Martin Luther King Jr. speaking of his opinion on racism in his “I Have a Dream” speech. Similarly
Malcolm X, a famous civil rights activist and Muslim preacher during the time of the Civil Rights movement, created the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) during May, 1964, while on his trip in Ghana. When he returned to New York later that year, he addressed the public on behalf of his newly founded organization. In the address, Malcolm X said, “[African Americans] want freedom by any means necessary” (1964 Malcolm X’s Speech 1), and further goes on to say, “[African Americans] will strike at [the unjust condition] by any means necessary. And strike also at whatever and whoever gets in the way” (1964 Malcolm X’s Speech). Many see quote by Malcolm X as advocating violence in response to civil rights issues. In some cases, these people are correct. Malcolm X was referring to violence, but not just simply directing violence at white people, rather promoting defense of one’s rights. This key fact is something that people often fail to see. He says his quote in response to the immoral practices of racism and torture throughout the country against the African American population. He is not simply telling people to go off and kill anybody who is racist, for this would be an extreme command, one that few would follow. Rather, X is telling his followers that should they be disturbed in trying to let their voices be heard, they should not
Asa Philip Randolph was “the most important civil rights leader to emerge from the labor movement” (Stein 1). Randolph, like Thoreau, chose to pursue change in the form of civil disobedience. According to Biography.com, “Randolph twice used mass protest as a means of influencing the policies of the federal government” (A. Philip Randolph 1). Both times, he was the leader of these protests. As Thoreau constituted, only “a majority of one” (Thoreau 1) is necessary to bring the desired change and to influence the public, when civil disobedience is effective. In this case, Randolph as a “majority of one” created enough influence to get support from another leading civil rights’ activist by the name of Martin Luther King Jr. These two men working side by side, specifically when Randolph and King led the March on Washington, were able to bring together hundreds of thousands of supporters to listen to the Civil Rights’ cause. When in Washington, Randolph spoke to a crowd of 250,000 supporters (A. Philip Randolph 1), the biggest turnout of civil disobedience in American history. Not only did Randolph lead marches, but, “In 1957, he organized a prayer pilgrimage to Washington D.C. to draw attention to civil rights issues in the South [...]” (A. Philip Randolph 1). The events that Randolph led pertained to the philosophy of Thoreau and Emerson in regards to civil