Essay on Nonviolence or Violence: Which Was More Effective?

The civil rights movement of the sixties is one of the most controversial times of the last century. Many, if not all, who lived through that time, and the generations following were enormously impacted. At the time passions ran so high that violence at peaceful

The American Civil Rights Movement in the late 1950s and 1960s generated massive international following and controversy, which made the movement one of the most important in U.S. history. The movement’s legacy can still be felt today, with the positive aspects, such as voting rights to African Americans and wide spread desegregation of public facilities, still being felt in the United States, and in many similar models across the globe. Although there were many “battlegrounds” where civil issues were debated, many people who know of the movement today would argue that the movement’s heart was rooted in the Deep South, ironically where it could be argued that the mentality of people living in the area at the time were the most violently opposed to such civil rights. In contrast, those who championed the Civil Rights Movement chose the tactic of nonviolence, at least at first, as a tool to dismantle racial segregation, discrimination, and inequality. They followed models that Martin Luther King Jr. and other activists had commissioned, using principles of nonviolence and passive resistance. Civil rights leaders had understood that segregationists would do anything to maintain their power over blacks. So, in consequence, they believed some changes might be made if enough people outside the

     As civil rights began to gain attention of the United States, blacks decided they needed to change their approach from court cases to a more nonviolent approach.

Nonviolent actions is a huge theme throughout this narrative. The author says “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon.” P.16. In the Negro Revolution of 1963, nonviolent actions won victories. This was the first time that people have seen nonviolent acts win in history. Many people would not think to act nonviolently in a situation like that. Instead most people would want to hurt the people of the other race if they were treated that poorly. King said, “Since nonviolent action has entered the scene, however, the white man has gasped at a new phenomenon.”(p.20). Police officers were shocked at what was happening because African Americans were going up to them asking them to arrest them. White men were shocked by this because it took a lot for the African Americans to do that. African Americans would lose their jobs and would receive terrible beatings in jail. Yet they still wanted to go just prove a point. It certainly worked. However, in Birmingham when Bull Connor was the Commissioner they said “Local racists

Success was a big part of the Civil Rights Movement. Starting with the year 1954, there were some major victories in favor of African Americans. In 1954, the landmark trial Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka Kansas ruled that segregation in public education was unfair. This unanimous Supreme Court decision overturned the prior Plessy vs. Ferguson case during which the “separate but equal” doctrine was created and abused. One year later, Rosa Parks and

Mahmoud Kaddoura Professor Gordy December 16, 2014 Politics and Violence Politics and Violence is something that everyone has been arguing about for years. Hannah Arendt criticizes Frantz Fanon in On Violence, talking about how Fanon is with revolutionary violence. Decades ago, minorities were treated as scapegoats, they were looked down upon by the Whites, who were the majority of the country. Back them if you were not white you were black, and even though it still pertains today, racism is not as big as it was back then. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for equality between whites and blacks with his multiple marches and his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

In the context of the social crises that ravaged the United States during the mid to late 1960s, black ghettos were predominantly radicalized by the youth. Impatience grew, and nonviolent liberation movements such as the ones of Martin Luther King, saw their influence fall into decline. This lead to new forms of more virulent struggles that emerged in recent years, with Malcolm X and the Black Panthers attracting a younger generation that was no longer satisfied with the "civil disobedience” approaches that the previous generations employed.

The #BlackLivesMatter movement is an example of non-violent resistance to racism because it follows the ideological path set forth by Dr. King of non-violent direct action. As a social movement, #BlackLivesMatter represent a voice for the African American community and for all other oppressed minorities that continue to be marginalized by a political end economic system. As a result, their decision to engage in political protest showcase their collective frustration just as Dr.King had done years before during many of his famous sit-ins and marching demonstrations. In essence, the purpose of non-violent direct action is not to seek conflict or instigate violence, but rather, to force the party in control into the negotiating table in order to implement real

In the history of the United States there have been many social changes that have occurred such as black Americans gaining their rights and freedom, the new generation of civil rights movement called the black lives matter movement, civil disobedience and many more. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s was one of the most significant and important movement that caused a great change to America. They fought for the equality of black of Black Americans and also against segregation and discrimination. Since the abolition of slavery in 1863, there had been a conflict between the races of people who live in the United States. Peoples rights were being violated on a consistent basis, just because of a person’s race. Everyone’s class, religion, and even their level of knowledge was judged by the color of each person’s skin color. Many of the changes that the movement fought for brought on a violent opposition from many white people especially the southerners. This led to the violent deaths of some of the famous leaders of the Civil Rights Movement such as Martin Luther King. Jr and Malcom X. Not only that but it also led to two pretty distinct groups of black activists. On one hand, there were group of black activists who were rather violent, and on the other hand, the group that believed in peaceful nonviolent resistance but this did not cause any big conflict since both group had the same goal.

This is because it insinuated racial pride in African-Americans, infiltrated self-respect, did not have a dependency upon whites, and rejected integration as a short-term goal (“Empowerment” 1). All of these are positive ideals and therefore appear to be exceptional notions. Considering this and the fact that peaceful protest is never immediate, it is understandable why opposing views consider the Black Power Movement to be more effective. However, it is what the results of these ideals that contribute to the fatalistic and dismissive views of the Black Power Movement. The insinuation of racial pride and self-respect was often followed by acts of resentment and violence, along with enragements that resulted in uncontrolled tempers. It created a fight fire with fire situation that made the African-Americans’ response to racial tensions no better than the whites’ and proved certain stereotypes. Nonviolent protests also have a history of being more well received than violent ones. Not having a dependency on whites led to the exclusion of whites which is another form of segregation. It is just a form of segregation initiated by African-Americans. Although the way of peaceful protest does not have an immediate effect, it has a lasting one. Therefore it cannot be seen as looking at the matter as a short-term goal because of this lasting effect. Participants of sit-ins never engaged in participation of the movement without serious purpose and it (although slowly) began the abandonment of policies of segregation and brought America closer to achieving equality (“Sit-in” 1). Therefore, nonviolence and peace are more effective than violent and resentful measures at achieving

By the mid-to-late 1960s, many blacks nationwide grew disillusioned with the slow pace of change in race relations and polices as opposed to the meteoric promises by Civil Rights leaders. Activists grew jaded after viewing and experiencing the full brunt of white resistance to the movement. The predominance of nonviolent integration began to wane by the mid-60s, as groups and organizations began to splinter and radicalize. Much of the anger and frustration of urban blacks erupted into violent confrontations. These race riots would leave behind a negative social and economic legacy, which would cast a decades-long shadow in urban poor communities. Between 1964 and 1971,

The concept of Protesting with Non-Violence is to bring some shame to your oppressor so they can realize the wrong they are doing without violence. Without violence there is no urge for retaliation only acceptance of friendship. Some felt that this was a cowardice way to protest, and had to be taught those who resisted it without fully understanding it. They taught that this method is nonaggressive physically but strongly aggressive spiritually. It is not meant to humiliate or challenge the whites, but to win over their friendship, and respect as human beings. This was a movement awaken the philosophy of love. With this method of boycotting it involves not only avoiding external aggression, but also internal aggression on the spirit. To love and accept others who have wronged you, you must first love yourself. Martian Luther believed that believing in nonviolence means you believe the universe recognizes injustices and through freewill comically fixes them.

However, the movement wasn't just focused on fighting back against oppressors, Many people with the movement promoted safety, pride, and success for African Americans. Despite this the movement was more associated with violence due to media reports and actions of certain members.

Social tensions between White supremacists and African Americans have always been evident since the establishment of slavery in the United States. The continuous clash between White supremacists and African American minorities led to opposition and the constant battle for basic human rights and respect. During the Civil Rights Movement, nonviolent activism and violent resistance were strategies implemented by the African American community in their struggles to integrate within American society. These competing strategies created a divide between the African American activists who were both working in order to gain the same respect and privileges of American citizens. Although peaceful protests were powerful to a certain extent, riots and civil discord created a greater advantage in the persistent battle for civil rights.

Back in Civil war times, Blacks had little influence in the decisions made (Smith). The change for equality began when the SCLC and the SNCC started a large protest in the city of Selma, Alabama. This led to the broadcasting of the protest which displayed violence placed upon peaceful Black protesters. This broadcasting shocked the White population as they were unaware as to the violence that was being inflicted upon Blacks. The newfound sympathy that Whites now had, persuaded the Voting Rights Act of 1964 .Earlier it was mentioned about the sympathy that was felt by the Whites after watching the nonviolent protest. This goes to show that without that sympathy, Blacks may not have gotten the voting rights they wanted. More importantly, the peaceful intent of the SCLC and the protests they conducted proved to convince the White society to see from their perspective. It shows how this particular time period imaged the effect nonviolence had on people. The nonviolent protests that were conducted depicted the pure intentions of the SCLC and the SNCC. Furthermore, it shows that the deeds the SCLC and the SNCC did, increased the chance of racial equality in the United States. When looking at the evolution of this scenario, it is clear on how nonviolent strategies played a positive role in creating the Voting Rights Act of 1964