During the years 1955 – 1964 there were a significant amount of peaceful protests organised by groups like the SCLC, SNCC and NAACP. During this period there was a significant change in the progress of racial equality and it is clear that peaceful protest was a direct cause of the change. Earlier protests did things such as raising awareness, making smaller changes to state laws and showing that blacks had power without using violence. Later and bigger protests such as the March of Washington made bigger changes such as pushing towards the Civil Rights Bill.
During the late 1950s and early 1960s the main forms of peaceful protest were the sit- ins, freedoms rides and Montgomery Bus Boycott in. The sit-ins in 1960 were important to the civil rights movement because they raised a lot of awareness when they spread to 54 cities in 9 states in just 2 months. They were also important because they showed that despite the fact the black protestors were not being violent, white racists would still react violently. The Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956 was significant because it showed the effect that black Americans can have economically and also the power they could have without using violence. The violence black people involved in the boycott received from white southern racists showed their determined racism. The bus boycott raised more northern support and inspired boycotts in other cities and caused the buses to be desegregated, however the rest of the city remained segregated. The Freedom Rides in May 1961 was another non-violent protest that was greeted with violence from racists. The Freedom Rides were significant to the civil rights movement because it caused some businesses and shops to desegregate even before laws were changed in the states.
The March on Washington in August 1963 was a very significant event to the civil rights movement. The march was to