Margarita Santana 5/12/16
ISP 160­01 Profs. Head and Markowitz
Analysis of the Greensboro Sit­ins
The young college protestors used the act of civil disobedience to voice their anger with the country’s unfair policies. Their main goal was to put an end to the segregation on lunch counters in restaurants. When the Greensboro 4 peacefully protested J.W. Woolworths, many other colleges and citizens around the world began to follow. It wasn’t the intention of Ezell,
Joseph, Franklin, or David to spark such a big movement but blacks were so outraged with the slow pace to equality. While the precedent of Brown v. Board of Education and the positive outcome of the Montgomery Bus Boycotts helped blacks, the country remained to have unfair policies which limited the success of African Americans. Whites were viewed as superior and were in control of the justice system. A lot of whites didn’t agree with the sit­ins because they didn’t want to eat with blacks nor wanted to enter a store that’s being protested by blacks. It ruined the businesses of white owners and many whites acted out violently towards the peaceful protestors. Sadly, hundreds of black students were arrested and fined for their actions but didn’t accept bond. They wanted to make a statement and they did because America looked bad by having so many young college students in jail.
Luckily, people around the world like Senator John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and many church­goers supported the Sit­ins and helped them reach their goal of desegregation.
This movement brought whites and blacks together for a positive change. Whites nonviolently protested with blacks because they knew the government’s policies were unfair and were brave enough to risk them lives for something that didn’t personally affect them. On June 25,1960,

Woolworth's became desegregated and had 4 black employees. All the effort and months of hard work had finally paid off, which made the Sit­ins a success.
The Sit­in movement traveled all the way to South Carolina where seventy college students were arrested. The New York Times, a well­known publishing company, wrote an article which talks about the outcomes of people peacefully protesting for desegregation. The students attended Friendship Junior College and were charged for ‘‘picketing of bus stations and variety stores’’ and ‘’[demonstrations] against segregated lunch counters’’(
Five More Sit­ins
Given Sentences
, p.8). Some were even fined $35 and often sentenced to a month in prison. This large number of student arrest would lead to clutter in the jails. The protesters would rather take the prison sentence over the fine because the time would come where there would be no room for arrests. This would lead to positive change to come. In addition, the act of keeping things peaceful made the whites look like villains because they were hurting and punishing people who acted civilly. Picketing was also another peaceful method during the Sit­ins because it blocked and discouraged whites from entering restaurants. Businesses would lose business and have no choice but to stop their segregation policies to fix their money flow.
Both Senator Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. were highly known people who supported the Sit­ins. Each man made speeches and worked hard to raise awareness to the injustices in America. Anthony Lewis, a writer for the New York Times, shows how each leader was different in their own way but came together to support one movement. Kennedy believes that ‘‘It is in the American tradition to stand up for one’s rights ­ even if the new way to stand for one’s right is to sit down’’(Lewis p. 13) This clearly proves that Kennedy was for the Sit­ins and wanted both whites and blacks to have equal access to things. Although Kennedy is white, he

didn’t think he was superior to African Americans and was willing to do everything in his power to make the American Dream come true for all. While, Martin L. King Jr. was a civil rights activists,who actively engaged in Sit­ins. For example, King ‘‘is the young Negro minister who led the bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala. and has been a leader in the sit­ins’’(Lewis p. 8). This represents how King had deeply impacted the civil rights movement and actively participated in great change in the black community. He was even arrested with other students but denied bond.
His arrest and Kennedy’s campaign speeches on sit­ins are what helped some whites realize that segregation is wrong. These leaders were highly looked up to, so more people would follow what they say, whether white or black.
Segregation violated the Law of God and the 3 million members of the United
Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. will not stand for such injustices. The church­goers assembled a report to voice their concerns on issues like the Sit­ins. George Dugan, a N.Y.T. writer, says that the church supported the sit­ins and their actions of civil disobedience because segregation went against the nature of God. They wrote, ‘‘some laws and customs requiring racial discrimination are, in our judgement, such serious violations of the Law of God as to justify peaceable and orderly disobedience or disregard of these laws”(Dugan p. 27). This means that the laws in America, at the time, were unfair and discriminatory towards the inferior race in order to keep them that way. African Americans had laws set against them that made it ten times more difficult to rise above their low status/class. These church­goers believed that civil disobedience was an exception because it was a good way to move back into the Laws of God.
These college students were acting peaceful but still had their lives in danger due to the outrage from the whites. Dugan says, ‘‘Violent reactions that produced assaults on student demonstrators

and the ‘‘unjust’’ arrest in some cases of victims rather than assailants should be deplored’’
(Dugan p. 27). This represents how these violent whites weren’t the main ones being arrested but rather the protesters, who were obeying the rules. It was unfair for them to get charged when their breaking rules that don’t make sense. African Americans weren’t able to sit in white lunch counters, which gives whites superiority. Hence, the Presbyterian Church worked hard to produce a report to show the government that their actions are morally wrong due to the laws going against God.
Whites acted out violently towards peaceful protestors because they could never imagine an integrated world nor the site of African Americans being given the same privileges. African
Americans tolerated the embarrassment and allowed the whites to act out against them. New
York Times published an article called Sit­ins Move Routed to show how whites didn’t agree with the Sit­ins and did all they could to stop it. White employees ‘‘of a lunch counter used a water horse, cleaning powder and insect spray to disrupt a sit­in demonstration by negro students’’( Sit­ins Move Routed p. 13). This proves how whites couldn’t tolerate the peaceful protests and didn’t care about the health of blacks. These materials could severely damage the lungs and well­being of the young protestors. The ‘‘insect spray’’ shows how whites viewed blacks as inferior to them and how they viewed blacks as inhuman and rather as an animal. Also, the ‘‘cleaning powder’’ demonstrates the deep root of the discrimination. It’s thought that blacks are dirty due to their skin color being brown while whites are perceived as pure and clean over the centuries. Fortunately, white’s tactics didn’t stop the protesters from continuing to promote change. Lunch counters began to desegregate because of Sit­in movement but ‘‘the demonstrations resumed recently in a demand that other eating places follow suit’’(
Sit­ins Move

Routed p. 13). African Americans wanted the government to get involved and pass a law to end the segregation in lunch counter but that failed to happen during the time. Due to the lack of government involvement, the sit­ins continued to take place until the students saw the proper results and the whole world knew about the injustices occurring in America.
African Americans were outraged with the fact that segregation was still evident in
America. The government still had laws that restricted blacks from being equal to whites. Brave college students formed together to peacefully picket and put an end to lunch counter segregation. Yet, many African Americans were being arrested for expressing their rights.
Martin Luther King Jr. remained to be the voice of the black community. The New York Times wrote about the incident where 14 negro protesters were jailed in Atlanta and King Jr. was one of them. King believed, ‘‘[they] did nothing wrong in going to Rich’s today...the object of the demonstration was to bring the whole issue of desegregation into the [conscience of
Atlanta]’’(
14 Negros Jailed in Atlanta Sit­ins p. 39). This demonstrates how blacks believed their actions were innocent. Protesters wanted Atlanta citizens to see that there’s nothing wrong with blacks and whites sitting in the same lunch counter but police weren’t standing for it. While you have a right under the first amendment to peacefully assemble, blacks still were arrested and fined. African Americans were able to use their arrest to their best ability in neglecting bond.
When offered bond, King Jr. ‘‘said he would refuse it and stay in jail a year or ten years if necessary’’( 14 Jailed in p. 39). Jail time didn’t matter to blacks because they knew that
…
overtime there wouldn’t be enough space to hold them all. They stood together and fought for their equality with their lives on the line. Also, blacks felt that they should be treated the same because their both human beings and it was only a matter of time before their hard work paid off.

The Greensboro Sit­ins were successful because the segregation ended in lunch counters mid­June in Woolworths. The act of civil disobedience is what made this movement so strong.
The college students were viewed as the victim towards large amounts of people around the world. These students were able to gain the support of leaders like Kennedy who would soon become president because of their high tolerance. Whites acted out so violently against the protesters but blacks didn’t retaliate and remained stagnant. Their job was to bring awareness to this injustice and they did just that through Sit­ins, reports, speeches, protests, pickets, and many others. This movement gained the support of Martin Luther King Jr.,who gave up his freedom for desegregation. Also, large amounts of members of the Presbyterian Church were on their side due to the fact that God wouldn’t allow such discriminative laws to be passed. Blacks practiced their 1st Amendment rights but were arrested for following the law because it went against white businesses and was civil disobedience. Yet, this tactic was needed in order to promote positive change because acting out violently could lead to deaths and no change. Blacks would’ve been even more restricted if they did. The Sit­ins were just the beginning of the change in America after the 1960’s but the country still has more work to do. For instance, there’s a huge gap between whites and minorities in prisons today. Blacks make up the majority of the prison population but we must ask ourselves how the laws in America come into play with this. More people must come together like the college students did in the Sit­ins and promote unity amongst the races. Hence, the Sit­ins was a powerful movement that helped African Americans move forward but there’s still more work that needs to be done.
Dugan, G. (1960).
Sit­ins Supported in Church Report
. New York: New York Times.
Lewis, A. (1960).
Kennedy Salutes’ Negroes Sit­ins
. New York: New York Times. n/a.(1960).
14 Negroes Jailed in Atlanta Sit­ins
. New York: New York Times. n/a.(1960).
Five More Sit­ins Given Sentences
. New York: New York Times. n/a.(1960).
Sit­in Move Routed
. New York: New York Times.