...and violence against people who sought to end it. In contrast, the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement chose the tactic of nonviolence as a tool to dismantle the institutionalized racial segregation, discrimination, and inequality in the south. The movement was guided based on Martin Luther King Jr.’s principles of nonviolence and passive resistance. The success of the American Civil Rights Movement and the fight for racial equality in the United States is a testament to the determination of millions of African Americans who fought against discrimination in the 1960s. Instead of using the alternative strategy of using an armed uprising such as one of Malcom X, Martin Luther King Jr. championed and thrived on the strategy of protesting for equal rights without using violence. King's non-violent approach was inspired and derived from the teachings of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, a Hindu religious leader, nationalist, and social reformer who revoked the British occupation of India through acts of civil disobedience and nonviolent protests. History is the best example on how acts of non-violence has brought social justice for millions across the globe. Prominent individuals such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma...
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...The Ways of Meeting Oppression In the book “The Stride Towards Freedom” Martin Luther King Jr. discusses oppression, specifically in regards to race and how it’s applicable to Negros in conjunction to the Montgomery bus boycott. In this article Martin Luther King Jr. asserts there are three ways to deal with oppression: the first being acquiescence, the second is through physical violence and corroding hatred, and the third is through non-violent resistance. Further he proffers that the first two options keep the oppressed as “oppressed” while the third option of non-violent resistance is the best option as “ the nonviolent resister agrees with the person who acquiesces that one should not be physically aggressive toward his opponent; but he balances the equation by agreeing with the person of violence that evil must be resisted… with non-violent resistance, no individual or group need to submit to any wrong, nor need anyone resort to violence in order to right a wrong.” (pg 145) Martin Luther King Jr.’s non-violent resistance is a building block of which to create current social action and social policy, however if it were combined with a liberal feminist approach, he would be able to create more change so social and public policy. Using a liberal feminist approach, feminist theory offers several ways to deconstruct and reconstruct this system which is similar to Martin Luther King Jr. non-violent resistance. Further, this critical analysis will explore the...
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...Reflective Assignment The Political Nonviolent Activism of Martin Luther King Jr. I will focus on the life and the nonviolent political activism of Martin Luther King Jr. King Jr. is a world-renowned figure for his nonviolent pursuit of justice, equality, liberty and freedom for all, he worked tirelessly for racial equality and civil rights within the United States of America and his values of beliefs have been referenced the world over in similar pursuits. He is most well known for a speech he gave on the steps of Washington D.C.’s Lincoln memorial in 1963 entitles “I Have a Dream …” at the “March on Washington”. Section 1 (a) Montgomery Bus Boycott In the city of Montgomery Alabama 1955, it would not be surprising to see buses segregated by race; in fact city law to enforce it. When entering buses whites entered and sat at the front filling towards the rear, blacks entered and sat at the rear filling toward the front. If there were no more seats the next black person onto the bus was to stand, when the next white person got on the closest row of black people to the front were required to stand (Clayborne 224). The boycott began after a number of black women had been arrested for not vacating seats, the most recent before the boycott being Mrs. Rosa Parks (Phibbs). The boycott was organized and led by a number of now prominent civil rights activists along with Martin Luther King Jr., including but limited to: Ralph Abernathy, a leader of the American Civil Rights...
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...Civil Disobedience Civil Disobedience was a common topic between Thoreau, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. Each of these historic figures had varying views on what should be accepted in the light of civil disobedience. Thoreau felt that there should be a more violent take on what you believed in, while Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. felt that the people should have a peaceful nonviolent protest. The views of these offers vary due to the time period but they are all based on the same idea, civil disobedience. Thoreau, Gandhi, and King Jr. all expressed their views of civil disobedience differently. In Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”, he expressed his own ideas of civil disobedience with his words and actions. He showed his disagreement with the government’s policies by refusing to pay his taxes, and not reacting to how he was treated when he was jailed for the night. He believed that “the government is best which governs least” (Thoreau 392). In saying this he means that he would like to see a government that does not control the people harshly and lets them express their thoughts freely. Hare and Madden believe that civil disobedience should be “directed specifically to exert pressure that is likely to change an unjust situation” (Parker 37). While Thoreau suggests a more forceful approach, Gandhi hopes for a passive approach, Gandhi suggests a more peaceful approach when dealing with civil disobedience. He believes that if the people use force to acquire what...
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...Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership Model Leadership of Dr. Martin Luther king Introduction Dr, Martin Luther King was basically a religious man who a through his exceptional qualities as a model of moral values, ethics, charisma, trust, energy and devotion to his beliefs. Made is place in the history of one of the most honored and followed leaders in our history. He was the man of courage, honor and vision which he always had held above his Own life and stood fast during extremely difficult and threatening times. He is a perfect specimen to be chosen by anyone who wants to see, learn and feel, what a true “wholehearted” leader looks like and to be followed blindly. It will be wrong to say that Dr. Luther’s life as leader should be assessed on the basis of personality, though, he had traits which are beyond simple explanation. The best way to explore his unquestionable strengths as a leader has to be seen through the lens of “the five practices of the exemplary leadership model”. The first being the, “Model the way”, which explains how a leadership interacts with other people with a set of undeviating principals, by setting examples through his/her standards of behavior. Dr, Martin Luther King was a great transformational leader, whose set of actions were very clear and well understood . He set the examples of being stead fast to his ground without changing his behavior to gain short term success. He remained glued to his objectives and long term goals...
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...Civil Rights in the Sixties The 1960s brought about social change in America. America elected the second youngest and the first Catholic president (John F. Kennedy) and the Anti-War Movement began. The Anti-War Movement was based on people mostly the youth of America protesting a war (Vietnam War) that they believed America could not win. At the same time people were protesting the war they were objecting to the social injustice surrounding minorities; thus began the Civil Rights Movement. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was instrumental in starting The Civil Rights Movement the yearlong battle for equal treatment on buses gave minorities the strength to fight for more equal treatment and gave rise to Martin Luther King Jr. who was elected by the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) to lead the boycott. During The Montgomery Bus Boycott whites tried to use the media to put out false stories by claiming the boycott have come to an end and that minorities settled for the same moderate desegregation plan that they received before the boycott. Public opion in Montgomery Alabama at first was against the boycott, but once the business community realized they were losing money because minorities were no longer shopping downtown their opion began to wane. Throughout the civil rights movement the media was a constant force some believe that without the media exposing the at times moving and often unsightly events of the movement that it would not advanced as much as it did. Some Southern...
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...from English 101 on MLK Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail Tammy Marston Dr. Sychterz ENG 101 27 October 2015 Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther King Jr. composed an open letter “Letter from Birmingham Jail” on April 16, 1963 in response to the statement “A Call for Unity.” This statement was written by eight white Alabama clergymen, which recognize that social in justices were taking place but expressed the belief that the battle against racial segregation should be fought in the courts not in the streets. King reply that “This ‘Wait” has almost always meant ‘Never.” He put out there that direct actions were necessary to achieve true civil rights and, and that not only is civil disobedience justified in the face of unjust laws, but also that “one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” Martin Luther King Jr. thought if he could get the middle class on his side that he would have the majority he needed to forward the movement for civil rights and achieve its goals of removing the illegal segregation practices that were still in place in the nineteen sixties. King addressed the white clergymen that were putting him to task for the non-violent protests in what they considered to be “their” city. Even though King was invited as the President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to speak to the local affiliate in Birmingham, where he believed that they have basic organizational ties. King then explains in detail his...
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...The Drum Major Instinct. Martin Luther King, Jr. remains arguably the most recognizable African American figure in world history. First thrust into the international spotlight courtesy of his leadership of a boycott of the public bus system in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was pastor of a local church, King became the lightning rod for the civil rights movement that emerged in the wake of the successful boycott. During the 1960s he gave innumerable speeches characterized by oratorical genius, led a succession of mass marches in the heart of segregated America and helped to reconstruct American race relations before his assassination in 1968. Ever since Montgomery he has attracted the attention of biographers and historians keen to understand what made him such a magnetic and inspirational leader and what made the story of the civil rights movement so compelling. Martin Luther King is most remembered for a speech given during one of the finest hours of the civil rights movement -- a sermon that set the moral tone for the movement. But while the Aug. 28, 1963, sermon "I Have A Dream," delivered during the March on Washington, framed much of Martin Luther King Jr’s notions of a free America, it was not the speech that defined his legacy. One of the world's best known advocates of non-violent social change strategies, Martin Luther King Jr., synthesized ideals drawn from many different cultural traditions. Recent studies of him emphasize the extent to which his ideals were rooted...
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...Race Matters, by Cornel West, Martin & Malcolm & America, A Dream or A Nightmare, by James H. Cone and The Civil Rights Movement by Bruce J. Dierenfield. When we think back on the historical backdrop of America many events happened that are either disapproved of, or seen as the wonderfulness days. The occasions that are the magnificence days or the most astounding focuses in American life, for example, Independence from England served to make America what it is today. Those occasions that we think back on, that are not the best periods of time, for example, slavery and African Americans battle for Rights in the 1960's, likewise served to make the United States what it is today. Whether we agree it was right, it has had an effect. At the point when in the 1960's, pioneers, for example, Martin Luther King, Jr., and religious pioneers, for example, Malcolm X, remained forward to discuss the rights that were detracted from African Americans, they were look down upon. Even when society wanted to make it seems as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were battling one another rather than making a movement. In the book Martin & Malcolm & America, A Dream or A Nightmare, by James H. Cone, states “Although the media portrayed them as adversaries, Martin and Malcolm were actually fond of each other. There was no animosity between them. They saw each other as a fellow justice-fighter, struggling against the same evil- racism-and for the same goal- freedom for African Americans.” (Cone...
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...Many know Coretta Scott King to be the wife of Martin Luther King Jr.- one of the most influential civil rights activists ever. However, what most do not know is the story of his wife, Coretta Scott King, and her fight for all people, peace, and one whose bravery should be recognized for many more years to come. When speaking she said, “I am made to sound like an attachment to a vacuum cleaner,....the wife of Martin, then the widow of Martin, all of which I was proud to be. But I was never just a wife, nor a widow. I was always much more than a label.”- and to that she truly was. Early Life: Coretta Scott King was born on April 27, 1927, in Marion, Alabama. She was an exceptional student and graduated valedictorian from Lincoln High School. This was one of the greatest accomplishments of Coretta’s young life- considering the fact that her entire childhood she experienced and fought against racial prejudice/ violence- at 15 years old, Coretta Scott King’s name as well as her father's sawmill were burned down by white supremacists. This act of violence left a long-lasting impact on Coretta and she was determined to do something about it....
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...A Lifetime in Black America 1900 Booker T. Washington During Spring Break of 2017, my History class inspired a road trip with my twelve-year-old daughter. We toured great sites such as Rosa Parks Museum, Dr. Kings Floating Grave and both Spelman and Morehouse College. Along the way, we talked about how each visit resonated a profound sense of vision within us. Consequently, I chose six core black Americans figures to express how each individual story helped to shape the United States of America. Beginning in the early 20th century, President Theodore Roosevelt invited Booker T. Washington (a former slave and prominent black leader) to dinner. Washington, who founded the Tuskegee Institute, was one of the most influential intellectuals of the era. Roosevelt, known for his impulsiveness, respected Washington, who also advised President William Howard Taft. Though Booker was not the first African American to advise a...
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...to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”, this is a quote from the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. Equal. This is the key word in this quote; this is the foundation of the United States of America. In the 1960’s many of the white folks, especially in the Southern states seem to have forgotten what the term “equal” meant. They treated the African Americans like animals. They saw them as meaningless organisms, not even human beings and that their only purpose in this world was to serve the white men. Thankfully, someone had enough courage to stand up for the African Americans and take the physical, verbal, and emotional abuse to fight for their freedom once more, and his name was Martin Luther King, Jr. King writes a letter titled, "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"; in this he helps both his audience, the white clergymen, and the rest of the segregated United States understand how these unjust laws are restricting African Americans from their constitutional and God-given rights. He also empathizes the feelings of exhaustion, anger, and hatred that the African Americans feel towards the federal government, and more specifically, the white clergymen who are taking these rights away from them. As King stated, "One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws" (3). Also, in the same sense he gives a definition of just and unjust laws. He says, "A just law is...
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...Carnegie Corporation of New York Fall 2004 Carnegie Results Is A Quarterly Newsletter Published By Carnegie Corporation Of New York. It Highlights Corporation Supported Organizations And Projects That Have Produced Reports, Results Or Information Of Special Note. The Lasting Legacy of An American Dilemma The fiftieth anniversary of the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education—which said that the segregated schools of the South were damaging to black children, and thus began to dismantle the system of legalized segregation—was an occasion for assessing the last half century’s progress in the lives of African Americans. While there remains deep disagreement about the current state of black America and the policies that ought to follow from that, most would agree that the status of African Americans has changed dramatically, if insufficiently, since Brown. Not only has the system of legal segregation been eliminated and widespread prejudice diminished, but the economic, political and educational status of many blacks has significantly improved. Gunnar Myrdal’s An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy, generally viewed as one of the most important results of grantmaking by Carnegie Corporation of New York, played a major role in the story that led from an America, which after World War II still had a legal Jim Crow system in the South—along with a segregated army—to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It was cited as the social scientific...
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...Jackie Robinson, Why Him? The story of Jackie Robinson has become one of America's most iconic and inspiring stories. Since 1947, American history has portrayed Jackie Robinson as a hero, and he has been idolized as a role model to the African American baseball community. It is an unarguable fact that he was the first to tear down the color barriers within professional baseball. The topic of Robinson’s role in integration has long been a point of discussion amongst baseball historians. Researchers have accumulated thousands of accredited documents and interviews with friends and team mates such as short stop, Pee Wee Reese, and team owner, Branch Rickey. However, few journalists have asked why Robinson was selected and what was Branch Rickey’s motivation? While Robinson was the first Negro player to break into the ranks of professional baseball, it can be argued that he was not the first to attempt the undertaking. In actuality, Jackie possibly was not even the first player the Brooklyn Dodgers’ organization considered for the job. The Warner Brothers film, 42, The Jackie Robinson Story (2013), highlights the accomplishments of Jackie and rightfully so, as he was an amazing man. The story actually starts prior to 1947 and ends years later in 1959, three years after his retirement in 1956. Early in his career at Ohio Wesleyan University, where Branch Rickey played and coached baseball, an incident occurred with one of his young black players, Charlie Thomas, which...
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...Critique of Nonviolent Politics From Mahatma Gandhi to the Anti-Nuclear Movement by Howard Ryan (howard@netwood.net) Preface 2 Part I 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Problems of Nonviolent Theory Nonviolent Philosophy 6 Moral View: Violence Itself Is Wrong 9 Practical View: Violence Begets Violence 13 Nonviolent Theory of Power 21 Voluntary Suffering 24 Common Nonviolent Arguments 34 A Class Perspective 49 Part II 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Gandhi: A Critical History Father of Nonviolence 56 Satyagraha in South Africa 59 Textile Strike 66 Noncooperation Movement 1919-22 70 Religious Conflicts 80 Salt Satyagraha 87 Congress Ministries 97 The War Years 101 Independence and Bloodshed 111 Part III 17 18 19 20 Nonviolence in the Anti-Nuclear Movement Nonviolent Direct Action 120 Consensus Decision Making 123 Open, Friendly, and Respectful 136 Civil Disobedience 142 Epilogue 151 Notes 154 ©2002 by Howard Ryan. All rights reserved. Readers have my permission to use and distribute for non-profit and educational purposes. Critique of Nonviolent Politics 2 Preface (2002) Critique of Nonviolent Politics may be the only comprehensive critique of nonviolent theory that has been written. I wrote it between 1980 and 1984, while living in Berkeley, California. Since 1977, I had been active in the movement against nuclear power and weapons which, in California, focused its protests at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant near San Luis Obispo, and at the University of California's Lawrence Livermore Labs where...
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