Tim Kiernan Just needs to be in past tense
Dr. Ryan Feigenbaum
PHI 1000: Knowledge, Reality, and Self
May 2, 2013

Nonviolent Protest

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most successful advocates of nonviolent protest not only in the 20th century, but in the history of mankind. He understood that nonviolent protest could solve the problems of the human race in addition to allowing mankind to understand that regardless of race, humans are more similar in every aspect of life than which they are aware. He recognized that his work had been criticized and that his work was “unwise and untimely,” but if he did not begin his efforts in striving for equal opportunity at the time, then when would it be considered a wise and timely point in history to do so? African Americans experienced over 340 years of oppression, segregation, and utmost hatred toward their race in America. In Birmingham, Alabama, the most segregated community in the country, Dr. King viewed more hatred toward his people than anywhere else. In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” he did not seek to solve all issues through writing, but to give the “white man” a general consensus of the situation and seek their understanding, not only as a civil rights advocate, but as a “Clergyman and Christian Brother.” The African-American community sought to negotiate peacefully with the city fathers, but they refused. The question then arose: Why they did not turn to violent action after the constant failure of nonviolent negotiation? Dr. King understood that, “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue,” otherwise meaning that the only way civil disobedience can be successful is if the oppressor recognizes it as a volatile action against their past actions. If the African