Methods of Protest
Method 1: Boycotts~
A peaceful protest where people refuse to buy or use certain goods.
A peaceful protest where people refuse to buy or use certain goods.
One of the most famous boycotts during the Civil
Rights Movement was the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
During this boycott Rosa Parks refused to give up
her seat on a segregated bus. Because of this, many
African Americans refused to ride on the buses in
Montgomery. Bus system wasn't bringing in enough
revenue, and the result was desegregation on buses!
Overall, it was a huge success!
Even though Rosa Parks is the most famous for refusing
to give up her seat, she wasn't the only one. Claudette
Colvin was only 15 when she refused to give up her seat
on the bus to a white woman. She was dragged off the bus,
and then put in handcuffs. Rosa Parks sided with Claudette,
and some may even say that Claudette was the little push
that led Rosa to do the same. Eventually Claudette ended
up being one of four black, female prosecutors in the supreme
court case that was responsible for the desegregation of
buses. Even though Rosa Parks was crucial in leading to
the Montgomery Bus Boycott, others like Claudette Colvin
deserve some credit too!
to give up her seat, she wasn't the only one. Claudette
Colvin was only 15 when she refused to give up her seat
on the bus to a white woman. She was dragged off the bus,
and then put in handcuffs. Rosa Parks sided with Claudette,
and some may even say that Claudette was the little push
that led Rosa to do the same. Eventually Claudette ended
up being one of four black, female prosecutors in the supreme
court case that was responsible for the desegregation of
buses. Even though Rosa Parks was crucial in leading to
the Montgomery Bus Boycott, others like Claudette Colvin
deserve some credit too!
Method 2: Sit Ins~
Sitting down in a public place and refusing to move.
Sitting down in a public place and refusing to move.
One good example of a sit in, besides the very famous Greensboro boys, was Reverend Theodore Roosevelt
Thompson. Reverend Thompson went to a Dallas lunch counter and sat there by himself. Many people at the time were trained before the sit ins because of the preparation necessary. The people accomplishing these sit ins did not have it easy. They would get harassed, tormented, picked on, and would even get food thrown at them. People would spit in their faces, and even try to physically attack them. All the protesters could do was curl up in a ball and take the beating, or what ever it was getting thrown upon them. It was very important for them to remain peaceful, because if one of them were to fight back, the effectiveness of their peaceful protest would be ruined. These sit ins were extremely successful because desegregation laws started to get put into place after them.
Thompson. Reverend Thompson went to a Dallas lunch counter and sat there by himself. Many people at the time were trained before the sit ins because of the preparation necessary. The people accomplishing these sit ins did not have it easy. They would get harassed, tormented, picked on, and would even get food thrown at them. People would spit in their faces, and even try to physically attack them. All the protesters could do was curl up in a ball and take the beating, or what ever it was getting thrown upon them. It was very important for them to remain peaceful, because if one of them were to fight back, the effectiveness of their peaceful protest would be ruined. These sit ins were extremely successful because desegregation laws started to get put into place after them.
Method 3: Civil Disobedience~
Nonviolent refusal to obey a law.
Civil Disobedience can be hard to completely categorize because all the other methods are civil disobedience.
Here are some Examples:
Here are some Examples:
When talking about civil disobedience the most common example would be the freedom riders. They would hop on buses that drove them to the south just to disobey the law in a peaceful way. Although often times the result would not be so peaceful. They would be beaten and very badly injured in some cases. Not only the freedom riders but other organizations like the SNCC and the CORE devoted their lives to peaceful protest.
And one more small example of civil disobedience is sit ins, like mentioned before. The main goal of civil disobedience is to break the law in a peaceful way. Just like the sit ins. People just wanted to raise awareness of the issue of segregation. Not only were African Americans involved in these protests, but so were other white people. They too received much harassment.
All these methods were very successful because by being the underdog, and the peaceful one, it gave the African Americans the sympathy they deserved.
Method 4: Marches~
People march for their cause.
Throughout the civil rights movement another form of protest was marches. One of the most memorable marches was the march of Selma. 600 protesters started in Selma to march for their beliefs. But when the police started physically attacking the peaceful protesters, it was captured on film. When people saw the videos, they were outraged! It ended up helping the civil rights movement, even though the ordeal is known as Bloody Sunday, because of how gruesome it was.
Even though there was some violent response, marching was successful because people saw videos like this and wanted to make a difference.
Method 5: Violence~
Using violence to promote "black power"
The method that I believe to be most effective is the sit in method. It amazes me the power that we have as a society. If we set our minds to something we can accomplish it! By being peaceful, protesters finally had the upper hand. When you see someone getting bullied, and they are not doing anything mean back, it automatically makes them seem like the right ones. So by protesting peacefully, even though others were hurting them, it made the civil rights movement have more appeal. Though all the methods are very good, except maybe the violence one!
Works Cited:
*http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/montgomery-bus-boycott
*Digmann notes
*http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/chronologyentry/1960_04_26/
*http://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/movements-and-campaigns/movements-and-campaigns-summaries? sobi2Task=sobi2Details&catid=17&sobi2Id=22
*http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/07/civil-rights-exhibit-open_0_n_1134580.html
*http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0115/Martin-Luther-King-Jr.-8-peaceful-protests-that-bolstered-civil-rights/Bloody-Sunday-1965
*http://newsone.com/1558125/the-top-5-most-violent-protests-of-all-time/
*Google Images- claudette colvin, civil rights movement, freedom riders, montgomery bus boycott, civil disobedience
*Youtube- Bloody Sunday, civil rights sit ins,