As right wing government’s spread the infectious word of white superiority across America, the responsibility of ending racial inequality and achieving equal rights for all fell at the feet of leaders who were willing to lead many to freedom.
Activists and the numerous amounts of discrete groups and communities they lead in 1950’s and 60’s America sought different ways to achieve this freedom. Techniques varied in a matter of ways – Violent, non-violent, legal and illegal. Martin Luther King lead a movement which insisted on the strategy of massive, but non-violent, civil disobedience whilst others such as Malcolm X welcomed anyone with a hunger for revenge in its most irrational, satisfying form. Countless boycotts, sit-ins, shootings, murders, …show more content…
After a visit to India, King was inspired to adopt the same strategy in freeing his race. This idea was popular as it had proved to be effective in the past, casualties could be significantly reduced and the black community could plead complete innocence. Civil disobedience could be extremely effective in different ways to violent retaliation. Instead of defeating the enemy with physical harm, King sought to gain understanding and a coexistence with the whites through emotive and psychological means. King even strongly apposed acting in self-defence and described it as dangerous. ‘It is dangerous to organize a movement around self-defence. The line separating defensive violence and aggressive violence is very thin. The minute a program of violence is enunciated, even for self-defence, the atmosphere is filled with talk of violence, and the words falling on many ears may be interpreted as an invitation to aggression’1. It could be said that King’s philosophy influenced many more people any group that encouraged aggression. Movements practised civil disobedience in many different ways, which included the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and 1956. The boycott involved blacks refusing to ride city buses and sit in segregated seats. This event demonstrated the potential for nonviolent mass protest to successfully challenge racial segregation and served as an example for other southern campaigns that followed. Other methods included sit-ins and other public disturbances that forced government and legal action. In cases, issues were addressed at the U.S Supreme Court and instances of segregation were deemed
Activists and the numerous amounts of discrete groups and communities they lead in 1950’s and 60’s America sought different ways to achieve this freedom. Techniques varied in a matter of ways – Violent, non-violent, legal and illegal. Martin Luther King lead a movement which insisted on the strategy of massive, but non-violent, civil disobedience whilst others such as Malcolm X welcomed anyone with a hunger for revenge in its most irrational, satisfying form. Countless boycotts, sit-ins, shootings, murders, …show more content…
After a visit to India, King was inspired to adopt the same strategy in freeing his race. This idea was popular as it had proved to be effective in the past, casualties could be significantly reduced and the black community could plead complete innocence. Civil disobedience could be extremely effective in different ways to violent retaliation. Instead of defeating the enemy with physical harm, King sought to gain understanding and a coexistence with the whites through emotive and psychological means. King even strongly apposed acting in self-defence and described it as dangerous. ‘It is dangerous to organize a movement around self-defence. The line separating defensive violence and aggressive violence is very thin. The minute a program of violence is enunciated, even for self-defence, the atmosphere is filled with talk of violence, and the words falling on many ears may be interpreted as an invitation to aggression’1. It could be said that King’s philosophy influenced many more people any group that encouraged aggression. Movements practised civil disobedience in many different ways, which included the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and 1956. The boycott involved blacks refusing to ride city buses and sit in segregated seats. This event demonstrated the potential for nonviolent mass protest to successfully challenge racial segregation and served as an example for other southern campaigns that followed. Other methods included sit-ins and other public disturbances that forced government and legal action. In cases, issues were addressed at the U.S Supreme Court and instances of segregation were deemed