Question

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Answer 1

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The Montgomery Bus Boycott was significant because it was one of the first large-scale protests against segregation in the US. Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955, for not giving her seat to a white man, even though she was in the black section of the bus. Rosa Parks was charged for violating a city law requiring racial segregation on public buses, even when the white section was filled. Rosa was a member of the local NAACP, so she and her lawyer began a challenge to the law, while a group of black women began circulating fliers calling for a peaceful boycott of the Montgomery Bus System. Martin Luther King Jr., a 26- year old pastor, was elected as part of the new organization to lead the boycott until the city met their demands. The boycott would include over 40,000 African Americans and would last until December 20, 1956 when the Supreme Court ruled that racially segregated seating on buses violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. The success of this event was also important as it introduced MLK as a national figure, who would go on to form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

The Children’s Crusade, beginning on May 2, 1963, was a culmination and climax of events that were part of the Birmingham Campaign that sought to bring national attention to civil rights and what was at that time, the most racist city in America. Christian minister and SCLC leader James Bevel proposed organizing a children’s march, or "Children's Crusade,” since they would be less likely to lose jobs or be attacked. The hope was to keep the event completely non-violent. On 2 May, over a thousand African American students skipped classes to march on downtown Birmingham. Unfortunately, hundreds were also arrested on this day, leading to hundreds more gathering the following day for another march. On this 3rd day of May, Bull Connor would order the local police and fire departments to use force to halt the demonstration, creating some of the most iconic Images of the civil rights movement, as children were sprayed with high-pressure fire hoses, beat by police officers, and attacked by police dogs. Despite the violence, the Children’s Crusade was very successful; it created some of the most iconic images of the civil rights movement, turning Americans against segregation. On May 10, local officials reached an agreement with the SCLC, promising to desegregate downtown stores and release all protestors from jail if the SCLC would end the boycotts and demonstrations.

Formation of Black Panthers. Dissatisfied with the slow pace of social justice for blacks and fed up with Martin Luther King’s non-violent attempts at unity, Bobby Seale and Huey Newton from Oakland formed the Black Panthers. The Party’s early activities included policing the police in black neighborhoods to hold the police responsible for any brutality. They encouraged owning weapons and using violence if necessary to protect their neighborhoods. In 1967 founder Huey Newton was convicted of killing Oakland police officer John Frey. While Newton would later have his conviction overturned, the incidents of confrontation with the police would only grow. The Panthers did institute a number of social programs, as well as engaging in political activities, which helped the Party grow to over 2000 members across the country by 1968. With high-profile arrests, shootouts with police, and internal conflicts, the Black Panther’s popularity would eventually begin to dwindle. While they did achieve some success at the local levels in their communities with their social programs, as well as instilling a sense of pride and heritage, they never really accomplished their major goal of achieving political positions within government to influence the change they wanted.

I would say that MLK’s belief in non-violent, direct-action, protests and marches was the most effective way to go. When you introduce violence into the equation, As some of the Black Panthers did, you are most likely going to alienate the very people you want to convince. MLK turned the other cheek, even when others were smacking him on it. It made him look like a bigger and stronger man than those who were attacking him. Its part of the reason that other Americans found it easier to support civil rights, as they watched the violence from the other side, which began to disgust most Americans.