Civil Disobedience: The Role Of Activists In The Civil Rights Movement

794 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Civil Rights movement civil disobedience

When I think of the term civil disobedience, I immediately think about the activists in the Civil Rights Movement. These activists include well-known individuals such as Rosa Parks, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers, as well as individuals that are not often discussed in schools (such as Fannie Lou Hamer, Diane Nash, and other powerful individuals). Though these individuals practiced civil disobedience by numerous approaches, they all shared the same characteristics of being outspoken, tenacious, and educated – having no problem in expressing their feelings to the public setting. It is often stated by many individuals that this act of civil disobedience stirs up a lot of chaos in society and it makes it as if individuals …show more content…

The entire world surely has heard of the greatness demonstrated by the late, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his impact on society. Dr. King was an advocate for equality and desegregation. He noticed how things were just so divided amongst the nation, thanks to government leaders who made things difficult; and led a non-violent approach to make it known that unfair conditions and treatment will not be tolerated. Dr. King didn’t just stand up for African Americans, he stood up for everyone, and the outcome of his marches, speeches, and sit-ins, to try to distinguish all of the foolishness that was evident during the 1960s. That is why in his Letter from the Birmingham Jail piece, he was offended when the clergymen called his methods “unwise and untimely”. King was not a type of person who reacts at the spur of the moment but instead was reflective and strategic with his plans. He followed four basics steps: a collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist, negotiation; self-purification; and direct …show more content…

Gandhi was peacefully assembling and advocated for the people of India to help gain their independence from Great Britain. You may wonder, what was the outcome of his nonviolent approach? I’ll tell you that his actions are what gained equality amongst people in India and respect for all of their social classes, as well gaining India independence from Great Britain. All just from his non-violent approach! Not surprisingly, Gandhi’s practices were the great inspiration for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King saw the importance of marches and non-violent

Show More
Related

  • Martin Luther King Jr Thesis Statement

    470 Words  | 1 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of his time. He saw that segregation was wrong and decided to do something about it. He endured through hard times, all the while working to better the lives of others. With his help many people began to take a stand against the racial inequality and injustice against African Americans. He left a lasting impact and improved the lives of thousands living in America and changed the future for those yet to come.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested on April 12, 1963, in Birmingham, for having a protest without a proper permit. On the exact day King was arrested, eight clergymen from Alabama wrote a letter called “A Call for Unity.” The letter called for termination of civil activities and demonstrations and designated King an “outsider” and saying that outsiders were the problems in Birmingham and not the blacks that are from there. On April 16 King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which was his responds to his fellow clergymen. He wrote the letter as a means to convince the clergymen and the white moderate that the nonviolent demonstrations that had got him arrested, were a necessity and to enlighten them on why the segregation laws in the southern states needed to be changed. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King uses logos, pathos, and ethos to persuade the clergymen and convince them in assisting him in putting an end to segregation laws of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama.

    Read More

  • Ethos Pathos Logos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1963, when African-Americans were fighting for black and white equality, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” While confined in the Birmingham jail, King felt the need to respond to a letter published in the local newspaper. This letter criticized King’s intentions during his visit by saying they were untimely. As a way to defend his actions, King put together a number of arguments and beliefs that proved why taking direct action was necessary during a time of racial discrimination. Furthermore, to persuade his audience, King had to gain trust and share the emotional connection he had with his people.

    Read More

  • Redefining Structure: Social Stratification in MLK’s “Letters from Birmingham Jail”

    1718 Words  | 4 Pages

    Martin Luther King, Jr. was an eloquent speaker and a powerful figure during the Civil Rights Movement. In “Letters from Birmingham Jail,” he uses the classical rhetoric to engage his audience and present his ideas clearly. This particular text was initiated due to the non-violent demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama, which led to the arrest of many African-Americans, including King himself. Although this was not a spoken document, the letter was directed to several targeted audiences: first, the clergymen who wrote “A Call for Unity,” secondly, the “white moderate” (47), and finally, to black men and women across the nation who lacked the initial courage to fight for their rights. Dr. King establishes himself as an authoritative voice in the religious community who connects with his multiple audiences through the use of gruesome imagery and hardened logic. An essential part of his intent was to express his deep concern with his fellow clergymen, whom were not at all sympathetic to the movement, yet practiced the word of God.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis of Heeding the Call by Diana Childress

    520 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is no secret that Martin Luther King Jr. did great things. We have learned in school that he was a leader in the movement to desegregate the South. He has served as a role model for people across the globe. But even though Martin did change the world for the better, it was not without hardships. We gathered new information on Dr. King in the essay, “Heeding the Call” by Diana Childress. From his childhood to his last days, Martin faced massive opposition. Still, all of these challenges brought Martin the wisdom and idealism he used throughout his life.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Injustice In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    talks about how African Americans in the South were being arrested and publicly chastened by the police force for their nonviolent protests. But, he extols these protests because of what they stand for. He says they “…preserve the evil system of segregation…I wish you had commended the Negro demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer, and their amazing discipline in the midst of the most inhuman provocation” (94). Because these people were aiming to end the discrimination they were facing, and did this in a peaceful manner that respected their Judeo-Christian values that all men are created equal, King saw it as exactly what this oppressed group needed. They needed a push of confidence to know that they were being treated unjustly, and that they did have the power to stand up to

    Read More

  • Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter From a Birmingham Jail

    1090 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Birmingham, Ala., in the spring of 1963, King's campaign to end segregation at lunch counters and segregated hiring practices drew nationwide attention when police turned attacks dogs and fire hoses on peaceful demonstrators. King was jailed along with a large number of his supporters, including hundreds of schoolchildren. When white clergy, strongly opposed to Kings position on nonviolent passive resistance, issued a statement urging the blacks not to support the demonstrations, King penned a letter of remarkable eloquence which spelled out his philosophy of nonviolence disobedience. In “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, King expresses his extreme disappointment over the criticism of his leadership by Alabama clergymen, his understanding of why oppressed people must resist their oppression, and his deep faith in the fundamental decency of all Americans.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dr. King is a man who is over flowed of nothing but creditability. Not once he pointed his finger as a child would and blame the Caucasian men for forcing the African-American to attempt to survive a horrific ordeal of history. He encouraged his brother and sisters of color not to protests with bitter and physical violence but to engage hands and peacefully demand to be treated equally. He encouraged his colored brothers and sisters to go back to where they are from with not despair in their hearts, but hope that one day there will be freedom within reach.

    Read More

  • Mahatma Gandhi Dbq Essay

    590 Words  | 2 Pages

    “ First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win” (Mahatma Gandhi). Gandhi was born in 1869 in Porbandar. Throughout his life Gandhi helped those in need. He was taught that everyone and everything is holy. He married at the custom age of 19 and went to London to study law. The thing that helped Gandhi promote nonviolence is that he worked his entire life saying that violence didn’t change the way people acted. He lived his life saying that an eye for an eye only made the whole world blind. Gandhi’s nonviolent movement worked because he had something to prove and everyone else in the world agreed with him.

    Read More

  • King's Refutation Toward the Clergymen

    1493 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther King, Jr. is known to be a civil rights activist, humanitarian, a father, and a clergyman. He is well known for fighting for the equal rights of colored people and ending discrimination. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is an important part of history that showed King’s opinion of a letter that he happened to read in the newspaper written by a group of clergyman. In this letter, the group of clergyman report that colored people, also known as black people, are being violent towards Birmingham City. Also, the clergymen believed the time that will allow segregation to be diminished was not happening anytime soon because it is not convenient. King refuted the clergymen’s argument in a variety of ways using tactics of argumentation and persuasion like appeal to emotion through real life examples, appeal to logic, and even articulating certain phrases through metaphors and word choice. Many of these different tactics of argumentation and persuasion made his letter very effective and is now seen as a great piece that is looked upon highly today.

    Read More

  • What Is The Rhetorical Situation In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written while he was “confined in the Birmingham city jail.” His letter was a direct response to the eight Alabama clergymen who insisted that King’s use of nonviolent direct action was unlawful. The clergymen questioned his method of protests even though they had similar goals as King. In his letter, King illustrates the hardships and injustices that African Americans in the United States were enduring during the mid-twentieth century; doing so allows King to justify the nonviolent actions of his fellow protestors. King uses the classical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos, along with his rhetorical situation, to support his claims about the racial discrimination and segregation in the United States.

    Read More

  • Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Leader of the Civil Rights Movement

    1031 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the greatest civil rights leaders to ever live. Through his empowering speeches, he made a huge impact on the world for the equality of all races. Throughout King’s life, he showed everyone how he believed equality should be acquired. With his peaceful protests and amazing speeches, he influenced people both during his time and after he passed. Many believe that King’s work in the Civil Rights Movement was the final push that America needed to finally respect people no matter their skin color.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dr. King effectively expresses why his critics are wrong in a passionate tone. He is extremely zealous about the rights that African-Americans have been neglected to have and should have, as well as everyone else. Mr King was criticized for his “untimely” actions in Birmingham. “This wait has almost always meant ‘never.’” (King 264) Martin Luther King isn’t just a bystander witnessing the injustice; he is a victim and one of the few who is willing to fight for justice well deserved.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King's Usage of Ethos Pathos Mythos and Logos

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther King is widely known as one of the greatest speakers to ever approach our nation. The impact he made on America was so much more than effective; it was incredible. The speech Martin Luther King gave took place 48 years ago, and even today people remember and quote the words he spoke. Being a man of Christ, he allowed the Lord to use him in furthering the kingdom of God. He is a man that has gone into history, and every child who goes through school is made known of works. Martin Luther King's passion for the civil-rights movement was so strongly effective and evident that it changed our nation.

    Read More

  • One Person Can Make a Difference

    775 Words  | 2 Pages

    Growing up in the South I experienced the affects of desegregation in the schools and saw how one person standing up for what they believe in could make a difference. On the national stage Martin Luther King Jr. was a powerful agent of change. He stood up for what he believed in and was subjected to abuse and violence as a result. Martin Luther King became the leader of a movement that forced huge changes in this country - from desegregation to voting rights to equal opportunity laws.

    Read More

More about Civil Disobedience: The Role Of Activists In The Civil Rights Movement

Open Document