Martin Luther King Essay, Research Paper

Schaller, writing of Martin Luther King s expression of civil disobedience, claims it was in the language and spirit of Christian forbearance, and later notes Black frustration at the limited successes of nonviolent tactics. Sitkoff likewise notes the frustration of Blacks in SNCC and CORE over the limited pace of racial change, how they came to believe that King s goal of an integrated society was an impossible dream, and criticize American liberalism.

Do you agree with these two assessments? However you answer, discuss the basis for Black frustration and why? Describe the trajectory of Black protest, the reasons for the emergence of Black Power, and the divisions within Civil Rights ranks.

Yes Martin Luther King a powerful black Reverend, led a non-violent, non-resistant civil rights movement to the opposition of many. Many of Kings followers participated in these non-violent demonstrations, including such things as sit-ins, protest marches, political rallies and boycotts. Many of MLK s followers were white students who had begun fighting for equal rights, alongside the Black students and other activists. The activists were trained in Kings belief of no n violent resistance as a means to achieve racial equality and harmony among the races.

Though the protest were widely hated and violently counter acted upon by white oppositionists, the peaceful demonstration continued to struggle to accomplish their mission. Democratic politicians supported Kings beliefs and actions with financial backings. This support, while much needed, lacked the political action in the form of actual deeds, which were much needed in order to make any significant movement towards attaining the goals set by Black leaders.

The 1964 move to community based support groups for the civil rights movement targeted voter registration and community organizations. By targeting those who were not yet registered voters, this gave the movement the opportunity to increase the vote in their favor and attempt to get politicians into office who would not only financially back the movement, but take steps to facilitate the process of making things materialize.

1964 also saw the emergence of power several Black-led organizations such as CORE the Congress of Racial Equality, which started in 1942. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC. The members of these groups participated in preaching the injustices of the society, and took part in non-violent, organized events and protests. Though their protests were of a non-resistant nature, they were daily targets of violent and dangerous counter efforts to stop them. The members often faced the threat of death to them selves or to those they loved, simply for being a member of the group.

The violence that the activists faced went without the intervention of the government. Leaders of these communities had asked repeatedly for the protection of the government, FBI and police force, but the requests went unanswered. The justification for the lack of protection afforded to these organizations was that it was too much for them to ask that each Negro in the south be protected at all times. This lack of concern for the safety and protection of citizens only added fuel to the fire of frustration that was building within the movement. Non violent resistance was a challenge to begin with, add to that the mounting frustration of political in-action, young activist were bound to resort to other tactics to accomplish their goals.

Martin Luther King was considered a conservative militant leader of the Black movement. He spear headed the CORE and SNCC organizations and made sure they were trained in his posture of non-violence as a means to change. The groups appeared to be on the verge of success after the Freedom Summer Project led and organized by the SNCC. The project included white students from the north and other parts of the country that went down to Mississippi to work side by side with Black activists to combat the anti-integration sentiment that was so prevalent in the area. The task at hand was to register voters, in an effort to show that the Black vote was significant and demanded to be heard. The registered voters were there to support the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP).

The government intervened in Mississippi when the thought of segregation got to be too much for the local authorities to handle. The non-violent activists were met by up graded police forces, and riot control measures. The picketing activists continuously face riot force prevention acts, though there were not riots to prevent. Hatred for the activists grew, as did the violent actions against them. Even in the face of violence, the activists carried on and continued to strive for their cause. The beloved community was conceptualized; a community in which races lived together in harmony, and equality. There was peace with in this community, but it was also underlined by mounting tension and frustrations for each other. The beloved community faced outside opposition by means of hateful acts, and violence geared towards them. Within the community, there were tensions among those adjusting to living and loving each other across racial lines.

With tensions mounting, and frustration building, the divide between activists began to grow. The non-violent tactics that had been enforced were proving to generate too little change for some to handle. The move to a more radical, aggressive campaign soon found a home and followers to support it. The emergence of the Black Panther s movement, an organization that acted with violence and aggression to Black suppression, formed and began to take action.

The ultimate goal of the Panthers was to attain Black Power. The militant group had all be replaced the former position of the non-violent activists. The SNCC, formerly a non-violent organization, was now the center for the Panthers campaign grounds. Organizing their actions and facilitating Panther events. Riots led by the Black Panthers began to arise. They were relatively small in size, but the y were the building blocks for a larger scale movement to come. The president as a matter of importance went on ignoring these riots. The Viet Nam war was still going on and it took precedence over the war that was being waged on the home front.

The Black power sentiment further divided the country into segments. Those who were black and poor and those who were white and rich. The division also made it harder for those whites who wanted to help end segregation and discrimination, because they were no longer welcomed into the cause, and were more often than not, seen as yet another white enemy.

Violence ensued once the Black Panthers began to gain support and power in masses. There were numerous riots in which many lost their lives fighting for Black power. Racial tensions grew on both sides and a political mistrust that had already existed was no at a boiling point. The frustration with the government and the democratic liberalism was so great due to the lack of action these political groups took. In their words they supported equality and desegregation, but their actions neglected to reflect that in any way.

Black Panthers separated themselves from the ways of MLK and his non-violent resistance policy because they did not see the immediate effectiveness of it. The separation was a return to segregation of Blacks and whites, this time the Blacks were in favor whole heartedly, while other Black leaders, still clinging to the ways of non-violent resistance were trying to push for a perfect society where both races could live alongside each other in harmony. The separation made the struggle of the African American one riddled with perplexing choices, violent militancy versus passive aggressive non-violence. The decisions were hard to make and continued to push a greater wedge between not only Blacks and whites, but also amongst Blacks alone.