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Essay On Nonviolent Direct Action

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Recommended: Conclusion for the voting rights act of 1965

The Jim Crow era was a time of extreme racial discrimination. Laws and unfair systems were made to prevent black people from voting, such as poll taxes, impossible tests, transportation issues, and racist threats. The town of Selma, Alabama, was known for its resistance to unfair laws and segregation. Their goal was to secure their right to vote by passing the Voting Rights Act, a goal that would take much perseverance to reach with nonviolent direct action. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. created a system that could be used to stand up to injustices like those in Selma, which consisted of four points that were essential to nonviolent action. The use of direct action in Selma did adhere to every step of Dr. King’s system and followed the philosophy …show more content…

King’s steps is negotiation, a stage of discussion where they peacefully make a request. Their goal was to start a productive dialogue between the opposing sides that would hopefully yield a strong result. Dr. King began negotiations with Lyndon B. Johnson in hopes of convincing him to pass the Voting Rights Act, following the order of their four step process. This negotiation was unsuccessful at first, as Lyndon B. Johnson decided that it was not the right time to make this decision, which forced Dr. King to carry on to the next step of direct action. In Selma, protestors were able to have discussions and make statements that encouraged reconsideration of the racist system that was created to prevent black people from voting. These dialogues were an important factor in the passing of the Voting Rights Act, as they led the protests to take direct action that furthered the …show more content…

King’s nonviolent campaign was direct action. In 1963, people gathered in protest of the 16th Street Birmingham church bombing. In 1965, protestors made three marches from Selma to Montgomery to stand against racist laws, a very powerful motion that made a significant statement. They remained peaceful and completely nonviolent throughout the entire march, and successfully made a stand for their right to vote. Prior to these marches, they met the requirements for every previous stage of Dr. King’s four step process, allowing them to take direct action in protest of the laws holding them back. While Dr. King’s negotiation with Lyndon B. Johnson initially failed, this direct action was an essential step in achieving their goal of passing the Voting Rights Act and obtaining the right to

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As a matter of fact, according to King Encyclopedia, “King had campaigned actively for Johnson and welcomed the victory saying, ‘the forces of good will and progress have triumphed,’” (Johnson, Lyndon Baines (1908-1973)) Winning the election, LBJ continued to fight for both voting and civil rights. As seen in the documentary produced by HBO, All the Way, once elected LBJ went on to pass the Voting Bill that would have a defined impact on the future of the United States (Roach). By helping one another, they helped each other to reach their goals of expanding civil and voting rights in the United States.

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He led African Americans to freedom of voting and their opinion being recognized. According to the book, Constitutional Amendments, “The Act focused on 7 southern states (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia) and outlawed restrictive voting requirements that denied the right of a U. S. citizen to vote because of race, color, or membership” (Pendergast et al. 313). Therefore the African Americans now had the freedom to vote and have a say in government decisions. Many organizations have tried to help form more freedom for African Americans by creating protests. According to article “Voting Rights Struggle,” “The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, various black individuals, and other civil rights organizations continued to work through the political and judicial systems to overturn the legal obstacles, and some progress was made including the outlawing of grandfather clauses (1915) and the white primary (1944)”

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The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, among other landmark legislation, were direct results of the activism and advocacy led by Dr. King and his contemporaries. These laws aimed to dismantle systemic racism and uphold the principles of the social contract by guaranteeing equal rights and protections for all citizens. However, it is important to acknowledge that Dr. King's work was not without challenges and opposition. He faced significant resistance, threats, and violence throughout his life.

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King used some very powerful words in this letter to the clergymen. For anyone who wants to have a nonviolent campaign should use the four basic steps. Which are collection of the facts to determine whether injustice exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action. King and his team went through all of those steps to prepare for Birmingham.

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Marches such as the one at Selma were aimed at ensuring that African Americans could exercise their right to vote. In response, police officers charged 600 unarmed protestors with batons and tear gas in order to put an end to the march. While the Voting Rights Act was a huge accomplishment for the Civil Rights movement, the destruction and violence that occurred before, during, and after its passing created distress within America. Document 8 is a news article from the New York

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He stated that African Americans should address their problems by voting, by forcing for change, and by working toward equality, not just waiting for it to happen. Du Bois’ work with the NAACP to fight segregation, and to demand 15th amendment rights modeled a more aggressive approach to civil rights. The Brown vs. the Civil Rights Act of 1964 led to less segregation. The biggest changes were the result of government action. In 1965 President Johnson made a law designed to eliminate illegal barriers to the right to vote.

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In Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court ruled that the racial segregation of public schools was unconstitutional, overruling the principle of separate but equal facilities that were established in Plessy v. Ferguson. The efforts of the civil rights movement also led to the eventual passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as discussed in Document 5. The Civil Rights Act was largely successful in the United States as it allowed equal access for African Americans to public facilities and prohibited the discrimination of African Americans and other minority groups. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was later passed which prohibited the racial discrimination in voting and picked up on the failed enforcement of the 15th Amendment. This shows how the persistent efforts of activists throughout the country allowed for the continued advancement of African American civil rights in the nation even though earlier reform efforts did not fully succeed.

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To accomplish social equality and justice has been a long controversial issue in U.S. history. Voting Rights Act of 1965 should be understood as a tremendous accomplishment today because it not only represent a symbol of the triumph of fighting social injustice, but also open the first gate for African American and minority to strive for more political power in order to create a “great society.”

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The government now had a major say in how whites treated African Americans trying to vote, no discrimination would be allowed (Landau 38-39). Thanks to valiant effort by several organizations and people voting for African Americans was now allowed. James Farmer, the leader of CORE had a huge impact on the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 because of how effective the freedom rides were (Congress of Racial Equality).

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The law were enacted to ensure that white and blacks were afford separate experiences and privilege. An example of such a measure was the segregation of facilities, such as schools, theaters, hospital, and restroom. In an effort to have this law abolished, in the South blacks had sit-in and boycotts and a marched on Washington, they were often met with violence from their white counter parts, who opposed their efforts and wanted things to remain the same. However there efforts paid off and segregation of institutions was declared Unconstitutional. Furthermore here are some ways the black vote was suppressed, literacy testing, Violence, intimidation, and the grand father clause, however these voting laws primarily effected black men because women had the right to vote long before they did.

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President LBJ and congress addressed these issues and signed the Voting Rights Act. The purpose of the voting rights act was to change the legal barriers that were disenfranchising Black Americans and LBJ made it a priority to persuade everyone even though this was a very radical idea for this time. Not only were these barriers a violation of the 15th Amendment, but they were also downright discriminatory and affecting public opinion negatively. By LBJ creating this compromise, he created a bigger platform for more voters' voices to be heard, and for even more compromises to be made in the future in response to public opinion. In addition, considering this being a radical concept during the period of segregation and racism, the ratification of this amendment helped the country begin to make advances in the civil rights movement.

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After a fifty mile fight, Selma to Montgomery, African Americans finally reached the finish line, and voting was achievable for all. It was not easy though. After 250 years of slavery the civil war made everyone free. The reconstruction followed, in efforts to make things equal for everyone, but Plessy v. Ferguson was a setback. It started the “separate but equal” concept, and life was segregated for 60 years.

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People always want to demand their essential rights from government’s restriction by passing new laws. There was a period when people demanded their rights in the 1900s. Within the United States, most African Americans’ rights were denied by state governments. Hence, in the 1960s, they took a stand on requiring their rights through the Civil Rights movement around the country. During this movement, the Voting Rights Act was significant and for the reason is that this act gave African Americans a chance to participate in US politics by their votes.

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Laila Halaby’s Once in a Promised Land (2007) offers instructive insight into the struggles facing Arab Americans in post 9/11 America. Specifically, Halaby inverts the Western gaze upon the Arab world; in doing so, she represents an America that is conspiratorial and inundated with religious zealotry. Halaby, then, portrays intolerant and xenophobic American characters overwrought with suspicion and paranoia and reveals a post 9/11 America that is rife with anti-Arab racism. Halaby also suggests that the pervasive American perception of a world distinctly divided between East and West only exacerbates global crises such as drought, poverty, and war.

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