During the 50’s and 60’s one man helped improve the treatment of Black Americans using no violence whatsoever. Martin Luther King believed in non-violence, he said that this was not cowardly but that it was a method that did resist. King set up various sit-ins in and around southern states such as Georgia and Atlanta. King also encouraged boycotts, one of the most publicized being the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama. It all came about when Rosa Parks (Secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured people) was sitting on a bus and when asked to move by a white man she refused. After refusing, Parks was kicked off the bus and arrested. Incensed by this, Rosa Parks formed a bus boycott against the bus company, using peaceful protest black Americans refused to use the bus (Martin Luther was involved heavily in this). Other methods used by King included Marches for Black Rights. This involved thousands of Black Americans protesting for equal rights in the streets of many cities. The most famous being on the 28th of August 1963, where over 200,000 Black Americans performed the now famous ‘March on Washington’ on this day, King gave arguably his best speech ‘I have a Dream’
During the late 40’s and all through the 50’s mainly non-violent protests took place by Black Americans. These resulted in many laws being passed and a slightly better life for Black Americans. But a lot of people where not satisfied, one in particular ‘Malcolm X’. Malcolm X grew up in Harlem New York, a place where racism often occurred. X felt that in places such as New York racism was being overlooked. After being deeply involved with the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X became deeply interested in the ‘Black Power Group’ run by Stokely Carmichael. The Black power movement was a movement for Blacks to take control of their own communities. It meant that Blacks could fight back against violent whites, and that certain members should carry arms. Black Power also meant that Blacks could be separate from whites, and that blacks where superior to whites. A Black Power party, ‘The Black Panthers’ became an extreme terror group who incited racial hatred against whites. With around 2000 members the Panthers caused mayhem and rioting all over America. They ended up killing nine Police Officers between 1967 and 1969. The Black Power movement developed hugely, as many of Martin Luther Kings followers were in the south, whereas the Black Power group attracted many supporters from the north. Also Martin Luther King supporters became a bit frustrated at the slow progress they were making. But by 1965, America was a very different place. President Kennedy had been assassinated, the Vietnam War had started, and the non-violent tactics of the NAACP were being met with increasing violence and death. Black Americans felt it was time to stand up for themselves and fight back. Many Blacks were impatient with Kings approach. They preferred Malcolm X's more militant stance and their anger and frustration caused a split in the movement. Things came to a head in an area of Los Angeles called Watts. With the split causing an even bigger divide in USA, many protests ended in sheer violence, raising questions of Malcolm X’s beliefs. Eventually the movement came to an abrupt halt as Malcolm X was assassinated in February 1965, and then the peace protest collapsed as Martin Luther King was shot in Memphis on the 4th of April 1968.
So America had come along way since the start of the Civil Rights movement in 1954. From Little Rock High school to the Protests in Birmingham the United States had had, and still has a very difficult race division.
Sean Melody 10W