King’s Gentle War, Essay Example

Although Dr. Martin Luther King’s struggle for Civil Rights in America was based on civil disobedience, the movement still functioned as an aggressive, even radical, influence on American society. History has shown that the Civil Rights movement, as represented by King’s non-violent forms of social protest resulted in the a profound gain of minority rights.The only accurate conclusion that can be drawn regarding the effectiveness of King’s use of non-violent protest is that it was a highly potent force of social change which altered American history in ways that are too numerous to describe. It’s most profound legacy, one that may even span beyond issues of racial discrimination, may be the historical validation for the true effectiveness of non-violent protest. In fact, it may be that some form of civil disobedience or another will prove to be necessary in the future to assure the granting of additional civil rights.

The fact that King’s non-violent approach was the most effective approach available to him is evidenced by an array of historical facts. Foremost among them is the fact that those who opposed King’s agenda were committed to presenting King’s movement in a menacing light. Rick Perlstein in his book Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America (2009) points out that the Republicans in Congress were united in their effort to block civil rights legislation. Nixon, Perlstein writes, “knew the issue was the Royal Road to Republican victory in november” (Perlstein, 126). The fact was that much of conservative America remained frightened of the idea of minority rights. The struggle for racial equality, even when pursued non-violently appeared dangerous and threatening to a large portion of white America.

If King had decided to pursue a violent path toward achieving his goals, he would only have encouraged the police and even the military to take extreme measures against those who supported his cause.  This fact is evident in A New York Times article by Claude Sitton titled “Negro Sitdowns Stir Fear Of Wider Unrest in South” (1960). In the article, Sutton noted that recent demonstrations regarding segregation had been marked by “a shift of leadership to younger, more militant Negroes” (Sutton, 1960, p. 1). The entire tone of the article is alarmist and designed to provoke fear among the non-minority classes. It is easy to imagine what the tone of the article would have been if the demonstrators had been violent rather than passive. It is, in fact, only that the demonstrators were passive that restrains the article’s utmost condemnation of the minority protesters and the white students who supported them.

The article goes on to mention that the protests were both spontaneous and completely non-violent. Sutton writes: “Young men and women and, in one case, high school boys and girls, walked into the stores and requested food service. Met with refusals in all cases, they remained at the lunch counters in silent protest” (Sutton, 1960, p. 1). However, the article maintains an air of urgency and foreboding that is aimed directly at the white population’s fear of violent minority uprising. the article clearly shows that only by using a non-violent approach did King or his followers gain any legitimacy with white conservative society.

Later in the article, Sutton concedes that violence was, in fact, present during the demonstrations. The violence was, however, caused by the protesters, but rather was directed against them.  Sutton observes that “In a few cases the Negroes were elbowed, jostled and shoved. Itching powder was sprinkled on them and they were spattered with eggs.”  (Sutton, 1). The suggestion is that, had the demonstrators not been passive, much worse would;d be done to them.  One important thing to keep in mind regarding King’s use of non-violent protest is that the minorities who were struggling for civil rights were already oppressed by powerful authorities in society. Not only was it important for those who represented the struggle of civil rights to remain passive; they had to remain rational at all times, even in the face of violence and irrationality on the part of society’s very institutions and government itself.

This is because the civil rights movement had to convince a majority of white America to accept the rationality and morality of equal rights. Murray Schumach’s New York Times article: “Martin Luther King Jr.: Leader of Millions in Nonviolent Drive for Racial Justice” (1968 ) notes the dire consequence of violence being shown by minority activists. He writes that during a protest in Memphis Tennessee, “a group of Negro youths suddenly began breaking store windows and looting, and one Negro was shot to death” (Schumach, 1). Violence was the only consequence of using violence as a form of protest and the conservative majority with its police and army was always going to be capable of unleashing more legal violence than nay number of protectors could withstand.

Therefore, non-violent protest was the only workable option. The only way that middle-class America and the institutions of government could be engaged was through passive, rational discourse. Breaking laws was permissable as long as violence was not a party of the act of civil disobedience. The fact that King’s tactics were powerful is shown by Perlstein’s coverage of the “Open Housing” provision in Congress. he notes that “Gerald Ford has announced he would fight the open-housing provision” (Perlstein, 242). The provision went on to pass. Perlstein also notes that during the time of the Detroit and Newark, the National Guard was called to quell violence. In Newark “fourteen square miles were sealed off by National Guard roadblocks” (Perlstein, 192). The ensuing violence cost the lives of innocent citizens. King’s road of non-violence helped to stop the spread of more riots and civil unrest. The preceding discussion shows that King had not other recourse than to pursue a non-violent agenda due to the nature of his mission and the type of opposition that he faced.

Works Cited

Perlstein, Rick. Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America. Charles         Scribner.2009.

Sitton, Claude. “Negro Sitdowns Stir Fear Of Wider Unrest in South” New York Times. (1960)

Schumach, Murray. “Martin Luther King Jr.: Leader of Millions in Nonviolent Drive for Racial             Justice” New York Times. (1968 )