Martin Luther King & Non Violent Civil Disobedience

Rosa Parks 1 December 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat Montgomery Alabama city bus Seat was in the white-only section of the bus Rosa Parks was arrested Rosa Parks was a member of the NAACP 2 December 1955 Black community leaders meet Dexter Avenue Baptist Church Organize a bus boycott A campaign of non-violent civil disobedience Aim: end legal segregation of the city’s transit system

Martin Luther King, Jr. Emerges as a leader of the bus boycott 26-year-old pastor – Dexter Ave. Baptist Church Member of the NAACP Well educated (PhD) and great speaker He advocated non-violent civil disobedience Influenced by A. Philip Randolph and CORE Jesus Christ Henry David Thoreau Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

The Montgomery Bus Boycott Black people in Montgomery showed great solidarity For 381 days they refused to ride the city busses White town leaders refused to end segregation Despite pleas from a bus company Supreme Court ruled in favor of protestors Segregation of busses unconstitutional The Boycott ended on 20 December 1956

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference Clergy-led organization Martin Luther King, Jr. named president Appels to conservative, religious African Americans Goal: Consolidate resources Goal: Coordinate protests Tactic: Non-violent civil disobedience King became a spokesmen for Civil Rights Movement Leads protests Inspires protests

President Dwight D. Eisenhower King persuaded President Dwight Eisenhower to Civil Rights Eisenhower hoped to win over Black voters to exploit divisions within the Democratic Party Eisenhower supported the Civil Rights Act of 1957 Meant to prevent interference with the right to vote Establishes Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department

Little Rock’s Central High School, 1957 Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus Used National Guard forces to prevent integration 9 black students – Little Rock's Central High School A court order forced Faubus withdrew the Guard Nine Black students try to enter the school Confronted by a hysterical white mob Black children were removed for their safety Eisenhower deployed US troops to Little Rock After this, massive resistance confined to the Deep South

Dr. King inspires the first “sit in” Four black college students 1 February 1960 Refuse to leave a segregated lunch counter Greensboro, North Carolina Inspired protests across the South “kneel-ins” at churches “wade-ins” at public pools Peaceful, non-violent civil disobedience Protesters refuse to retaliate to mistreatment

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee April 1960 Formed by black and white student participants,, SNCC (“Snick”) Worked with King's SCLC to broaden the movement

Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) Organize “freedom rides” Blacks & whites ride buses From Washington D.C. to the deep south Testing Court-ordered desegregation Mobs attacked the travelers in Alabama Burn one of the busses Assault Justice Department observers. Drew national attention to the movement Generates support for the Civil Rights

The University of Mississippi, 1962 Governor Ross Barnett of Mississippi Refused to allow a black student to enroll James H. Meredith Barnett was defying a court order US Attorney-General sent federal marshals to enforce law The marshals were assaulted by a white mob Federal troops intervened

Birmingham, Alabama, April 1963 “The most segregated city in America” According to Martin Luther King, Jr. King’s SCLC staged non-violent protest Protesters 2000 well dressed, nonviolent Black people Police Commissioner Eugene “Bull” Connor harsh measures to deal with the protestors dogs, tear gas, electric cattle prods, fire hoses

Letter from Birmingham City Jail In Birmingham, King and 59 others were arrested King wrote “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” a stirring of the nonviolent strategy a classic of the civil-rights movement. The letter signaled a shift in King’s strategy Before: He was trying to educate southern whites After: He was trying to provoke Southern Whites

The Civil Rights Movement gains support Protestors win wide-spread public support Images broadcast on television Northern newspapers offer daily coverage A “southern” problem now a “national” issue King becomes an international figure Wins the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 “I Have a Dream Speech” 28 August 1963, Washington DC 200,000 people in attendance