The Role Of Nonviolent Action In Congressman Lewis's March Book 1)

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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 civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s was a movement to secure for African Americans equal access to …show more content…

They were willing to break unjust laws to achieve a just law. In John Lewis’ March book One, we see examples of Lewis’s days when he, himself, took part in sit-ins at dinners to be served meals. At the counters of diners, they were rejected by waitress to be served meals. In the book, we witness the brutality and beatings young protesters at counters received as well as in the movie “The Butler”. Both scenes show the consequences protesters faced once in white people’s territory. The goal of the sit-ins was to fight for equality in dining areas and restaurants. With all the violence faced during sit-ins in both book one and two, the protesters continuous pressure to integrate diners and restaurants proved to be effective because a bill was later signed to desegregate diners because of race. In today’s generation, a sit-in would not be effective because this generation’s youth does not have the will and mentality to withstand abuse from whites without fighting back. Violence answers to violence as we have seen recent violence demonstrated by young black protesters in other …show more content…

People see jail as a place that one should not end up, but the freedom riders proved that wrong. They used jail, when they got arrested, to stage protests. The goal was to show the whites that even behind bars, the movement for freedom still continues in difficult situations. Blacks refused to pay bail and strengthened their will to fight on. This , however, was not fun for the whites because they couldn’t break the strong will of freedom within the blacks. It may have worked in the past, but going to jail now has a completely negative vibe about it. It destroys a person’s life, reputation, and it sticks with them wherever they

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