The Five Types of Protest
1) Sit Ins: people occupy certain facilities by sitting on available chairs, stools, and occasionally on the floor for a limited or unlimited period of time, with the objective of disrupting the normal pattern of activities.
Instance of Success: On February 1, 1960, four African American college students walked up to a whites-only lunch counter at the Woolworth's store in Greensboro, North Carolina, and asked for coffee. When service was refused, the students sat patiently. Despite threats and intimidation, the students sat mute and waited to be served, their actions led to Woolworth's changing the whites only policy. (http://www.ushistory.org/us/54d.asp)
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(Google Woolsworth)
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2) Marches : to walk in a stately, deliberate manner in efforts to show the want/need for change a negative circumstance
Instance of Success: On August 28, 1963, more than 200,000 Americans gathered in Washington, D.C., for a political rally known as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The march, which became a key moment in the fight for civil rights in the United States, summited in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call for racial justice and equality.
(http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/march-on-washington) |
(Google March on Washington)
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3) Boycotts : To stop buying or consuming a certain good or service in order to change current state
Instance of Success: The Montgomery Bus Boycott in which African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama, to protest segregated seating, took place from December 5, 1955, to December 20, 1956, and is regarded as the first large-scale demonstration against segregation in the U.S. The boycott of public buses by blacks in Montgomery began on the day of Parks’ court hearing and lasted 381 days. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ordered Montgomery to integrate its bus system, and one of the leaders of the boycott, a young pastor named Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as a prominent national leader of the American civil rights movement. (http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/montgomery-bus-boycott)
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(Google Montgomery Bus Boycott)
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4) Civil Disobedience : the refusal to obey certain laws or governmental demands for the purpose of influencing legislation or government policy.
Instance of Success: 1961May 4Over the spring and summer, student volunteers begin taking bus trips through the South to test out new laws that prohibit segregation in interstate travel facilities. Several of the groups of freedom riders were attacked by angry mobs along the way. The laws eventually ruled in favor of the riders and it helped change public transit. (http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html)
5) Violence :unwarranted exertion of force or power, as against rights or laws.
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(Google Ghandi)
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Instance of Success: Malcolm X condoned violence, or the threat of violence, in order to attain the goals of the African American community. This was highlighted by his speech on April 3rd, 1964 in which he encouraged African Americans to use their right to vote and threatened the government with an armed response if African Americans did not receive full voting equality, famously stating “it’s either the ballot or the bullet”. (http://www.historyinanhour.com/2012/06/15/malcolm-x-black-panthers/)
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(Google Malcolm X)
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