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MLK Freedom Rides Speech Analysis

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Recommended: Issues of civil disobedience

For every 1,000 people killed by police, only one officer is convicted of a crime. In “MLK Freedom Rides Speech” MLK argues that we should always use peaceful methods to have change. In contrast, in “By Any Means Necessary” Malcolm X argues we should use peaceful methods but if violence is used upon us we should also fight back with violence. Indeed, some argue that if we are using peaceful methods and violence is being used upon us we should fight back with violence while others believe we should fight back with peace. Violence doesn 't solve nothing it just gets more people killed. Ultimately, Activists should use peaceful protests and methods to protest for Police Brutality. Activists should use marches because they get national attention, …show more content…

For example, When Michael Brown was killed there was a several marches around the country they all got national attention. In Martin Luther King’s speech he argues that people should stick to using non-violence instead of using violence to solving your problems: “So in the days ahead let us not sink into the quicksands of violence; rather let us stand on the high ground of love and non-injury.” The idea that we should use non-violence instead of using violence is better because if you start to use violence people are going to say they want change but they are harming our city 's, we cannot advocate violence because we want change to happen and we don 't want more people getting hurt. Indeed we should use non-violence because we will get national attention. Ultimately non-violence protests are better than violent protests because if we want to change something from happening we have to be civilized americans and not make things …show more content…

For example, In 1960 some African Americans walked into a diner where it was only a “Whites Only” so they sat there till they were served. Many people mostly white made racial slurs to them and poured their drinks on the African American Students. Then it got national attention it was on newspapers, people saw what was going on. They should 've defended themselves but wanted to be treated equally. Malcolm X said that people should start defending themselves because people are being violent to the people that aren’t being violent: “ Every time you pick up your newspaper, you see where one of these things has written into it that I 'm advocating violence. I have never advocated any violence. I 've only said that Black people who are the victims of organized violence perpetrated upon us by the Klan, the Citizens ' Council, and many other forms, we should defend ourselves. And when I say that we should defend ourselves against the violence of others, they use their press skillfully to make the world think that I 'm calling on violence, period.” Indeed sit ins are effective because they get national attention an example when sit ins were successful where in 1960 four

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X’s theory on this makes more sense because asking someone to be nonviolent when they are being attacked is asking too much of the black American communities because there is only so much that they can let pass until they have had enough of peaceful retaliation because watching your kids get beat and watching churches getting bombed is going to trigger something in someone that says enough is enough and makes you want to fight back physically especially if nonviolence isn’t working anymore as X states in his interview in The Young Socialist on January 18,1965 “I believe we should protect ourselves by any means necessary when we are attacked by

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The nonviolent action that King advocates for is virtually without drawbacks, and such action has the potential to be successful in reaching the goals of its actors. That is why I am in support of King’s views on action, and why I believe that the nonviolent approach and all that comes with it is best. The kind of success that is able to be reached through non-violent action is the same kind of success reached by King's civil rights

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King suggests that it may not be the best way to end racism and discrimination. “A Letter from Birmingham Jail” show how violence cannot stop the on going cycle of violence. In his letter, he argues that: “There is a more excellent way, of love and nonviolent protest” (). This quote shows how to break the cycle of violence. Dr. King suggests “love and non violent protest”.

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His can-do attitude is shown after the riot when African Americans begin to arm themselves and fight back. The author focuses on these two to prove the point that the African American people, while able to make decisions for themselves, were heavily influenced by the media, fear, and black leaders of their

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A few years ago, there were many instances of unnecessary shootings and killings involving police officers against one group in particular, African Americans. In response, hundreds of people protested in the streets. As can be compared to the infamous march Martin Luther King Jr. took in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, officers used what can be called “scare tactics” against those utilizing their right to disobey civilly. Officers were using tear gas to disturb the crowds, military was called in, even wearing gas masks and somewhat armored uniforms, all of which occurred in the 1960’s as well as in the past few years. In many protests where tensions escalate and violence begins to emit, there were talks of Martin Luther King Jr. and how he was able to accomplish so much in his time as the Civil Rights leader without using violence to have his point reached.

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