Was the non-violent civil rights movement of the 1960’s a success? Why or why not?”
Was the non-violent civil right movement of the 1960’s a success? Why or why not? The success of the civil rights movement in the 1960’s could have only been achieved by the philosophy of standing up for the rights of the African American people from a non-violent course of action. During that period of time people were being murdered, homes and churches were being bombed and there was a sense that the evil hand of the oppressor would prevail. Andrew Young, one of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s closest aides, stated, "if we had started guerrilla warfare in America’s cities, if we had given into terrorism in America, we could not have won and America could not have survived". A major factor in the success of the movement was the strategy of protesting for equal rights without using violence. Civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. championed this approach as an alternative to armed uprising. Dr. King 's non-violent movement was inspired by his Christian believes lead by the words of Jesus, “I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also (Mathew 5:39).” He was also inspired by the teachings of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, “Truth and Non-Violence”. Gandhi’s contention was always that standing up for oneself, struggling against injustice, prevailing over evil, living with dignity and integrity do not require the willingness to use violence. There are other ways and strategies one can use. Dr. King, led millions of African Americans into the streets for peaceful protests as well as acts of civil disobedience and economic boycotts in what some leaders describe as America 's second civil war. The non-violent marches and movement actions were tested in places like Alabama, Mississippi and Washington. These non-violent marches many times were meant with violence being perpetrated by the oppressors, not the oppressed and that was an incredibly powerful message and an incredibly
References: Piehl, K., (2008). The Stormy Sixties. The Brief American Pageant, 7th Edition, Boston, Ma, Houghton Mifflin Company, (610,627) Simkins, C., Non Violence was key to civil rights movement. Voice of America. Retrieved from http://www.voanews.com/content/nonviolencekey-to-civil-rights-movement/1737280.html