The Successful Methods Of Protest In The Civil Rights Movement

Throughout the Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968), a number of successful methods of protest were used to oppose the pervasive racial discrimination and to challenge segregation of African Americans. The Civil Rights Movement (CRM) aimed to eliminate institutionalised segregation throughout the widespread African American community, to see the back of discriminatory abuse towards people of colour and additionally, to observe the dismissal of the Jim Crow laws, which at the time still enforced the idea of ‘separate but equal’. One of the most effective methods of protest employed by the Civil Rights Movement was civil disobedience, popularised by Martin Luther King, Jr. in the late 1950s, which was particularly effective as it undermined the

The Civil Rights Movement (CRM) aimed to eliminate institutionalised segregation throughout the widespread African American community, to see the back of discriminatory abuse towards people of colour and additionally, to observe the dismissal of the Jim Crow laws, which at the time still enforced the idea of ‘separate but equal’. One of the most effective methods of protest employed by the Civil Rights Movement was civil disobedience, popularised by Martin Luther King, Jr. in the late 1950s, which was particularly effective as it undermined the legitimacy of the authorities' use of force against unarmed citizens. In addition, another very effective method of protest was boycotting, which was highly successful in forcing the desegregation of public transport as well as causing large economic damage to businesses. Marches/rallies were another method of protest that had notable success throughout the CRM as they sparked mass media attention not just across the country, but worldwide. These methods all contributed to the long-term success of the CRM and were able to make real social change throughout the

One of the most renowned examples of civil disobedience is the Greensboro Four Sit-In (1960), a protest in which four students decided to take a stand against racial segregation and inequality by staging a peaceful protest at a Woolworths lunch counter. They sat at the counter and refused to leave until they were served, even in the face of verbal abuse and physical intimidation from white customers and staff. In addition to this, protestors were also faced with imprisonment on a regular basis, and injuries caused by violent mobs/crowds of people harassing them. The Greensboro Four Sit-In generated an immense amount of media attention and sparked a wave of sit-ins across the country (in 55 cities over 13 states) and played a key role in desegregating public spaces. Furthermore, sit-ins were a remarkably effective form of protest as they disrupted the normal functioning of society. By occupying public spaces, activists were able to draw attention to the issue of segregation and force society to confront the reality of racial discrimination. The disruption caused by sit-ins also put pressure on businesses and institutions to change