James Bevel Civil Disobedience

The civil disobedience is to describe when the public refusal to obey the law or commands of a government that violate one's personal principals without the act of violence, as an effort to induce a change in governmental policy or legislation. The purpose is to force concessions from the government or occupying power. For example, if a group of people refuses to pay taxes as a peaceful way to express disapproval of those laws they disagree with or taxes. Civil disobedience may be appropriate when a democratically elected government uses its power to discriminate against their race, sex, religion or skin color. In such a situation, people would most liking object the Laws and start a protest to show they want to be treated equally. Another point is that civil disobedience is a beneficial behavior in bringing about stability to this society. In fact, Martin Luther King Jr is the one of the most associated with nonviolent civil disobedience he saw color people getting treated unjustly and getting prosecuted because of their skin color. Another example would be the STC protest that occurred this month; six people refused to get off the bus keeping police on the scene for five hours till one in the morning. The six people got arrested but later they were released.

July 6th, 2011, Derek Williams collapsed and died in the back of a squad car. John Franke, a former Milwaukee circuit court judge, did not file charges in the case because he believes there was not enough evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The community took to the streets to march against police brutality as well as the decision to not file charges against the officers. 75 to 100 people participated in a two-hour march that began at Wisconsin Avenue and 16th street and along streets in downtown Milwaukee. Marchers first went to the police department building and a man broke the window on the door of the building. After the marchers left the police department the marchers yet again shut down a intersection then proceeded to city hall, they were met by police and barred from entry. Then the march was led back to the starting location an shut down another intersection at Wisconsin Avenue and water street. Their goal was to let people know that black lives matter and that someone need to stand up to the dirty cops who get away with everything they do. The protest wasn’t a failure nor a big success but they did make people start to understand and see what we go through on an everyday bases and that when we shout “black lives matter”we aren’t just doing this to make us stand out more.

African Americans were suffering from the Jim Crows and grandfather clause that barred them from voting and equal access to public accommodations. Some notable historical events was the Montgomery Bus boycott and the Greensboro sit-ins. The Montgomery Bus boycotts occurred after the arrest of Rosa Parks after she sat in the white section of the bus. This incident has received national attention for the persistent of Rosa Parks to sit at the whites section. There has been boycotts leading after. The Greensboro sit-ins was where four students sat on a white-only counter. The sit-ins has inspired sit-ins across the nation to bring national change. An activist, Luther King Jr. has advocated equal rights through peaceful protest. King has led The March on Washington in 1963 was where “I Have a Dream” speech was made. This speech has inspired many African Americans and has gathered the media attention. Marches throughout the country has ignited government upheaval and urged the nation to recognize the rights of blacks. Through the protests, African Americans had obtained their long sought rights.

In 1963, the admirable March on Washington was an important catalyst aiding in the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Interestingly enough, African-Americans were not the only people who cared about civil rights, but whites as well, hence the 75,000 whites that took a stance at the March on Washington. The March on Washington tested the dedication of many people around the world as they traveled to the Lincoln Memorial in hope of finalizing the discrimination and segregation of African-Americans. The March on Washington, a non-violent protest against segregation, aided in the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which made African American lives more fair and respected.

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential leaders of his time and played a crucial role in the African-American Civil Rights movement. Luther was a charismatic leader who took a firm stand against the oppressive and racist regime of the United States (US), devoting much of his life towards uniting the segregated African-American community of the US. His efforts to consolidate and harmonise the US into one country for all is reflected in many of his writings and speeches spanning his career. As a leader of his people, King took the stand to take radical measures to overcome the false promises of the sovereign government that had been addressing the issues of racial segregation through unimplemented transparent laws that did nothing to change the grim realities of the society. Hence, King’s works always had the recurring theme of the unity and strength of combined willpower. In a similar light, King addressed the speech ‘I have a dream’ to a peaceful mass gathering in Washington asking for change. The speech deemed racial segregation to be an inhumane practice that subdivides society into groups that essentially alienate them from the true sense of humanity; which is brotherhood. King argues that all people are created equal and directly challenged the outdated and abhorrent views that upheld the false flag of racial superiority among White Americans. Luther’s speech was a passionate rhetoric that preached his views about the future. Furthermore his speech did not

Civil disobedience is the refusal of something in a friendly manner. Politically, America is in a rough situation. America as a whole is slowly separating as a nation. For instance, African-Americans believe they are experiencing prejudice from “white” people. In Baton Rouge, Louisiana there a revolt organized by the infamous “Black Lives Matter” organization. This Civil disobedient revolt quickly turned violent when African Americans began shooting leaving three fatalities. If this is how they get America’s attention, what’s next? Another example, is females wishing for equal pay wages. As the female community is being united it is separating us from males leaving their salaries questioned. This makes males have hatred toward females. America

“We shall overcome,” sang the black children of Birmingham, Alabama. On May 2 1963 the Children's March of Birmingham, Alabama started. Over 3000 kids were involved and most ended up in jail. To this day the march has changed how the world looks at black children's rights. The children's march has lead up to what now is called the civil rights act which has also changed our world today.

Unbenounced to her, Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat to a white man ignited one of the largest and most successful mass movements in opposition to racial segregation in history. At a time when African Americans experienced racial discrimination from the law and within their own communities on a daily basis, they saw a need for radical change and the Montgomery bus boycott helped push them closer to achieving this goal. Unfortunately, much of black history is already excluded from textbooks, therefore to exclude an event as revolutionary to the civil rights movement as this one would be depriving individuals of necessary knowledge. The Montgomery bus boycott, without a doubt, should be included in the new textbook because politically

The biggest of these movements were his walks and protests in the late 1960s. He among many other African American citizens continued to riot throughout many U.S. cities but he “stressed the importance of nonviolent protests” (Kirk, par. 18.) King realized that violent protests would never solve anything; protesters needed to do so peacefully. If King did not stress the protests being nonviolent, the fight for civil rights would be more dramatic and problematic (Kirk, par. 18.) Throughout Martin Luther King Jr.’s whole life, he worked for the betterment of the civil rights movement until his last breath. In 1968, Martin Luther had his life taken from him by gunshot and was assassinated. He was protesting with sanitation workers that day as the movement marched towards Washington D.C. He was survived by his wife and four children (Kirk, par.

Martin Luther King Junior is probably the most visible and recognized civil rights leader and activist. King was also born in Georgia, in 1929, but a predominately black and more affluent area than Jackie Robinson. He came from a family of ministers, was well-educated man and is best known for advancing the Civil Rights Movement with nonviolence resistance and civil disobedience. His leadership was greatly influenced by his strong Christian beliefs. Dr. King led the first non-violent demonstration for racial equality; the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955 (Brinkley 684-685, 704). This boycott lasted 382 days and during this time King was arrested and his home was bombed, yet he had the moral courage to continue peaceful protests and emerge as a nonviolent leader. He became the first president of the Southern Christion Leadership Conference (SCLC), organized nonviolent protests in Birmingham and organizing of the Selma to Montgomery marches of 1965. Over a ten year period, King traveled millions of miles, spoke thousands of times, and wrote books and articles on injustice and equality. He was awarded five honorary degrees, named Time magazines Man of the Year and became a world renowned figure and leader. At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King Junior was the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He exemplified moral courage and remained authentic to his cause even through the risk of physical assaults and imprisonment for speaking out against the government

was a strong leader of racial injustice movements, inspired by Gandhi. At first, he began as a follower and took part in lunch counter sit-ins at a department store. That group wanted to show the racial injustices in Atlanta, and make changes for the better for both blacks and whites (Doc 2.) He convinced his followers they wouldn’t need weapons to retaliate, only the conviction that they were right (Doc 5.) King’s followers were eager to get arrested and some were even disappointed when they were not on the list because they were so proud to be arrested for the cause of freedom (Doc 8.) He was able to get whites and blacks to work together for the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” and wanted them to get along all in harmony (Doc

The question of whether or not peaceful resistance toward the law impacts society in a positive way is really a question of circumstance. If I were to refer back to the historical aspects of the subject, then my immediate answer would be yes, it does; peaceful resistance has often prevailed in situations that required immediate attention, yet were simply overlooked by the general public, despite their importance. One extremely important example of this would be the many boycotts during the civil rights movements of the 60's. Civil disobedience was a way to communicate the true inequality represented by the phrase, ''separate but equal'' by peacefully marching for their beliefs. For example, many white officials used various schemes to prevent

King elaborates about his position and the weight of his organization, “I have the honor of serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization in every southern state, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia” (King, 164). Perhaps King’s intentions were to set an equal level between him and the Clergymen by showing that the Civil Rights was a serious matter that organization have been working on. Demonstrating how although their actions seem to be anarchistic since the movement “disrupted” the order by peacefully protesting in the streets of Birmingham, their intentions are beneficial for the African American community rather than a malicious movement. Along with his position as the leader of the SCLC, he is an African American referring to an issue affecting exclusively the African American community. His race validates the anecdotes he shares as an African American being constantly segregated and being looked down upon due to their ethnic background. His title and his organization makes the Civil Rights movement seem as an official matter rather than a simple event. Along with his title his race as an African American validates the hardships exposed by him in his

People's justification to engage in civil disobedience rests on the unresponsiveness that their engagement to oppose an unjust law receives. People who yearn for a change in a policy might sometimes find themselves in a dead end because their “attempts to have the laws repealed have been ignored and legal protests and demonstrations have had no success” (Rawls 373). What Rawls says is that civil disobedience is a last option to oppose an unjust law; therefore, providing civil disobedients with a justification for their cause. Civil disobedience is the spark of light that people encountered at the dead end and they hope that this spark of light will illuminate to show that an unjust law should not exist at all. Martin Luther King, Jr, in his “Letter from

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi once said, “Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.” What Gandhi is saying is that nonviolence is a stronger force than using destructive tools like guns or explosives. He is saying you can achieve your goals without the need to use violence like harming innocent people or causing chaos and havoc. Historical figures like Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela used non-violence civil disobedience Although non-violent civil disobedience is the best way to bring change to an unjust system, it is not always successful.