Non Violence Research Paper

Dr. Martin Luther King is considered the leader of the Civil Rights Movement for the African-American Community achieving unfathomable results utilizing non-violent principles.

The 1960’s was a time in United States History like no other. The black population was growing tired of being treating like second class citizens. A movement began in small, black churches throughout the South. Dr. Martin Luther King was one of the leaders of the black movement that preached a new and different approach to bring about political change.

In order to achieve such monumental results Dr. King adopted the principles of Gandhi who lead successful non-violent protests in India. Gandhi is considered by many historians to be the leader of using non-violent approaches to bring about social and political change. Gandhi described civil disobedience as, “The plan of civil disobedience has been conceived to neutralized and ultimately entirely to displace violence and enthrone non-violence in its stead, to replace hatred by love, to replace strife by concord.” (Gandhi, 240).

“King organized an army of nonviolent blacks that succeeded in exposing the evils of racism and overthrowing the legal system of segregation that had prevailed for generations in the South. He disrupted the segregationist order by means of marches, mass demonstrations, sit-ins, boycotts, and, whenever necessary, civil disobedience” (Treanor, 71). In a time of ten years more was accomplished in the field of civil rights than the previous one hundred. Clearly, King was not the first to utilize nonviolence; he was the one leader who could organize large numbers of blacks to utilize this method (Treanor, 72).

In order to successful defeat the racial attitudes of the day; Dr. King created his strategy for nonviolence. Dr. King, a deeply religious man, based his approach on the work of not only Gandhi but the life of Jesus. “The belief that God is on the side of truth and justice comes down to us from the long tradition of Christian faith. There is something at the very center of our faith which reminds us that Good Friday may reign for a day, but ultimately it must give way to the triumphant beat of the Easter drums.” (Winters, pg. 61). His method arose from the foundation of nonviolent protest. Dr. King found violence to be an immoral act (Treanor, 73). An article in the Saturday Review outlined the strategy of a successful nonviolent direct action campaign:

1. Nonviolent demonstrators go into the streets to exercise their constitutional rights.
2. Racists resist by unleashing violence against them.
3. Americans of conscience in the name of decency demand federal intervention and legislation.
4. The Administration, under mass pressure, initiates measures of immediate intervention and remedial legislation.

Treanor goes on to say, “The purpose of King’s nonviolent direct-action campaigns was to compel racist communities to reveal their injustice and brutality, and to compel the government, whether local or federal, to institute legislative reform (Seibold 75-76).

“King firmly believed that as a method of civil disobedience, nonviolent resistance and direct action is the most potent weapon to oppressed people and their struggle for freedom and human dignity”(Siebold, 85).

Nick Siebold later goes on to say, “It is a way of disarming the opponent, exposing his moral weaknesses, undermining his moral, and, at the same time, affecting his conscience” (85). The nonviolent movement was employed by people with internal strength not of the body but of the soul.

Dr. King believed that a movement created in love would remain for all time; whereas what is obtained through hatred becomes a burden, for it breeds more hatred. Nonviolent means does not produce casualties. According to King, “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals. Both a practical and a moral answer to the Negro’s cry for justice; nonviolent direct action proved that it could win victories without losing wars.” (Siebold, 87)

One of the most successful examples of nonviolent approaches that achieved monumental changes was the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955. The event started with a little known person, Rosa Parks, and evolved into a national movement. During the period of about a year, King and other influential black leaders, urged blacks to boycott riding any means of public transportation. The boycott remained a national issue for well over a year until the court system ruled that forcing blacks to sit in the back of the bus was unconstitutional. The boycott continued until the Supreme Court supported the lower courts ruling; thus ending the boycott. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was the spark that ignited the Civil Rights Movement. It also showed that nonviolent, civil disobedience could bring about massive changes.

Critics of Dr. King suggested that his nonviolent approach to civil disobedience was actually rooted in violence. “Although King and those involved in the protests were themselves dedicated to nonviolence, their protests were most successful when they provoked violent reactions from police or white spectators” (Treanor, 71). King was often criticized in his day for provoking violence, but King argues that people engaging in nonviolent direct action were responsible only for bringing the violence of a racist society to the surface (Treanor, 71). In addition, King believed that when people saw the violent attacks on non-violent people they would become supporters of the movement towards equality and civil rights.
Bibliography

Ghandi, M.K. Non-Violent Resistance. New York: Shocken, 1971. Pg: 240 Siebold, Thomas. Martin Luther King Jr. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Pg. 75-76, 85, 87.

Treanon, Nick. The Civil Rights Movement. New York: Greenhaven Press, 2003. Pg. 71-72, 73.


Winters, Paul A. The Civil Rights Movement. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Pg. 61


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