From the Boston Tea Party of 1773, the Civil Rights Movement and the Pro-Life Movement of the 1960s, to the Tea Party Movement and Occupy Wall Street Movement of current times, “those struggling against unjust laws have engaged in acts of deliberate, open disobedience to government power to uphold higher principles regarding human rights and social justice” (DeForrest, 1998, p. 653) through nonviolent protests. Perhaps the most well-known of the non-violent protests are those associated with the Civil Rights movement. The movement was felt across the south, yet Birmingham, Alabama was known for its unequal treatment of blacks and became the focus of the Civil Rights Movement. Under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr., president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, African-Americans in Birmingham, began daily demonstrations and sit-ins to protest discrimination at lunch counters and in public facilities. These demonstrations were organized to draw attention to the injustices in the city. The demonstrations resulted in the arrest of protesters, including Martin Luther King. After King was arrested in Birmingham for taking part in a peaceful march to draw attention to the way that African-Americans were being treated there, their lack of voter rights, and the extreme injustice they faced in Alabama he wrote his now famous “Letter from Birmingham.” In order to gain an understanding of King’s purpose for the letter, it is important to begin by explaining “A Call of Unity”, a letter written by a group of white clergymen urging the end to the demonstrations. The letter was published in the Birmingham Post Herald with a copy given to King. The letter made many claims including that the demonstrations were led by ou... ... middle of paper ... ...ccupy Wall Street Protests Spread Nationwide - ABC News." ABCNews.com: Daily News, Breaking News and Video Broadcasts - ABC News. 6 Oct. 2011. Web. 5 Nov. 2011. . Haines, Herbert H.. "Black Radicalization and the Funding of the Civil Rights: 1957-1970." Social Problems 32.1 (1984): 31-43. HeinOnline. Web. 5 Nov. 2011. King, Jr., Martin Luther. “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” King Institute Home. Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, 16 Apr. 1963. Web. 5 Nov. 2011. . Marshall, Burke . "The Protest Movement and the Law." Virginia Law Review 51.5 (1965): 785- 803. JSTOR. Web. 5 Nov. 2011.
Web. The Web. The Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Bartlett, Bruce.
The bombings and marches in Birmingham Alabama were major concerns for all civil rights leaders. During the 50’s and 60’s, civil rights leaders fought against injustice in different ways. Some civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King and Jessie Jackson fought against injustice with a pen. In 1963 Martin Luther King wrote a letter titled, “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”, and Jessie Jackson wrote, “Jets of Water Blast Civil Rights Demonstrators, Birmingham, 1963.” Martin Luther King and Jessie Jackson are two civil rights leaders of different generations, but with similar views concerning the Birmingham bombings.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the leader of a peaceful movement to end segregation in the United States this mission led him in 1963 to Birmingham, Alabama where officials and leaders in the community actively fought against desegregation. While performing sit-ins, marches and other nonviolent protests, King was imprisoned by authorities for violating the strict segregation laws. While imprisoned King wrote a letter entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, in which he expresses his disappointment in the clergy, officials, and people of Birmingham. This letter employed pathos to argue that the leaders and ‘heroes’ in Birmingham during the struggle were at fault or went against their beliefs.
Congressman Lewis’s powerful graphic memoir March highlights the role of nonviolent activism in challenging racial segregation and discrimination and effecting social change. Within the two books, March One and Two, we as readers see some of these nonviolent activities that were implemented by the protesters to show the world that nonviolence is the way to go to bring change in an unjust society and its bias laws. Some of these nonviolent activities that proved to be effective in the eyes of freedom fighters were sit-ins, marches and speeches. Even some minor activities such as going to jail for a cause was proven to be effective.
The year of 1963 had an extreme amount of racial tension and arguments about the rights of African Americans. The white people were vastly prejudice towards the blacks and used all kinds of falderal. Several people began to stand up and show their opinions about the civil disobedience that the laws stood for. Many did this in a public manner therefore they were arrested and sent to jail. An example of this was Martin Luther King, Jr. when he wrote “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” during the time of the protests. All of the people’s opinions are what led to the March on Washington. “In the summer of 1941 A. Philip Randolph, founder of the Broth...
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s early role in the civil rights movement rarely had involvement with any type of protest. Instead King frequently tried to contain the intolerance of mainly young African-American activists who were carrying out their parents’ frustrations. King often tried to meet many conflicting groups’ demands from the Kennedy Administrat...
Markovits, Daniel. "Democratic disobedience." Yale Law Journal June 2005: 1897+. Criminal Justice Collection. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
gave his first speech as leader of the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama, and said “ we have no alternative but to protest. For many years we have shown an amazing patience. We have given our white brothers the feeling that we like the way we were being treated. But we come here to be saved from that patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom and justice,” (King, 1955,p.4). Throughout the time of the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. was always encouraging nonviolent protests to help make colored people equal to whites.
was the hero because he was brave enough to risk his life so others could be happy. In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. and many others were sent to jail for sticking up for what they believed in. They were sent to jail because they were protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham. The court told Martin that he was not allowed to hold protests. Birmingham was a hard place for blacks to live in at the time because of how segregated it was and many threats of violence blacks went through. "I am here because injustice is here". While Martin was in jail, he wrote a letter explaining why he broke the law. "Two days later, the Birmingham agreement is announced. The stores, restaurants, and schools will be desegregated; hiring of blacks implemented; and charges dropped against the protesters". Martin reached his goal, everyone to be equal. Blacks got some freedom, but not much, it took time for whites to truly accept
In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of the Brown v. the Board of Education. This was a very historical moment because their ruling eliminated, the "separate but equal " doctrine. Their ruling called for school integration, although most school were very slow in complying if they complied at all. The NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Color People, viewed this ruling as a success. The schools lack of the obedience toward this ruling, made it necessary for black activism to make the federal government implement the ruling, and possibly help close the racial gap that existed in places other than public schools. During one of the boycotts for equality, a leader emerged that would never be forgotten. Dr. Martin Luther King, who was leader of the Montgomery bus boycott, quickly became the spokesperson for racial equality. He believed that the civil rights movement would have more success if the black people would use non violent tactics. Some say he was adopting the style of Ghandi. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, SCLC, was formed by King and other activist in 1957. They were a group of black ministers and activist who agreed to try and possibly help others see the effects of a non violent movement. Also following the strategies set by the SCLC, a group known as the SNCC or the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, began a string of sit-in and campaigns as the black population continued it's fight for equality. It was the undying efforts of the two groups that paved the way for the march on Washington. This march which drew a crowd of at least 200,000, was the place that Dr. King, gave his famous "dream speech." Both the SNCC, and the SCLC were victims of lots of threats and attempted attacks, yet they continued to pursue freedom in a non violent fashion. However near the late 60's they had another problem on their hands. There was a group of activist known as the Black Panthers who were not so eager to adopt the non-violent rule. The believed that the civil rights movement pushed by Dr. King and is non-violent campaign, which was meant to give blacks the right to vote and eliminate segregation, was not solving problems faced in poor black communities. This Black Panther group, stabled the term "black power", which was used a sort of uplifting for the black self esteem.
This letter powerfully persuades his points on why he was in Birmingham, why he acted in a non-violent direct action, why the timing was when it was and that segregation needs to end. He uses this letter in order to persuade the clergymen into understanding his reasons for all the above. He uses logos, pathos and ethos to show the passion behind his cause. This letter opened eyes onto people of that time. Segregation is unjust and that the laws should not bend just for color. He quotes St. Augustine, “an unjust law is no law at all.” This quote sums up the whole letter and its purpose; laws should be just for all and that when it is not it is man’s job to seek justice, peacefully. Just as peacefully he had done with the non-violent protest.
Thoreau’s use of civil disobedience on unethical issues was a new form of rebellion that activists such as Martin Luther King represented. MLK used nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to create an overwhelming, long lasting effect on his audience, making MLK the most influential patriot of the modern Civil Rights movement. In a popular letter known as, The Letter from a Birmingham Jail, MLK responded to several white ministers, who had written a letter opposing his actions and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference during their peaceful demonstrations against segregation in Birmingham. In this letter he wrote, “An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law” (MLK__) MLK was a man of great moral values as a preacher, a husband, a father and an inspirational orator. He gained power and fame through the speeches that he wrote and delivered from the church pulpit. His message began to circulate in the hearts of others and circle the towns with a fever for change. His peaceful words were a catalyst for a nation to stand up, rise up and see the errors of our nation, that for many years had threatened us with unrest amongst all citizens alike. MLK’s rebellion against
I do agree that civil disobedience negatively impacts a free society. Many look at this as peaceful protest, no harm done to each opposing party, although this type of protest has a deeper impact than you would think. If a large group of people go on strike to oppose a business, it stops the business from making money and stops people from shopping at that store location. Since the protesters aren't causing any harm, the police can not use physical force to remove the people from this location, since they would be on a public location. This causes a major problem because the protesters either get what they want, or they get removed by force by the police and even if it was legal, the public eye will shame the law enforcers and look down upon
Web. The Web. The Web. 14 May 2014. Stanley, Jay.