Role of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Civil Rights Movement

CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT: ROLE OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Philosophy

1.       King promoted the philosophy of non-violence. He was heavily influenced by Ghandi, “Since being in India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people”. (The Papers of MLK, Jr. by MLK, Jr. 1992)

a.        The use of non-violent protest would legitimize the movement, and could in national sympathy in contrast to violence from white segregationists.

b.       As a result, King’s non-violent methods include boycotts (Montgomery), sit-ins (, and marches.

2.       King set up the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to aid the Civil Rights Movement in the South.

a.        The SCLC offered an alternative to the NAACP. Since it was a Christian organization, whites would have a harder time attacking a Church-dominated organization.

b.       The Church had a strong influence on the Southern black community and King thought an organization tied to the church would be more effective in meeting the needs of the people.  Therefore the SCLC was popular in the south.

c.        SCLC offered the alternative of direct non-violent action to the NAACP's litigation strategy.

Methods/Impact

Successes

3.       Rosa Parks, backed by the NAACP, refused to give her seat to a white passenger in December 1955. This resulted in her arrest and the year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott.

a.        Martin Luther King, Jr. emerged as a leader during this movement. He made speeches to promote the boycott, and promoted the use of ‘non-violent protest’, and this legitimized the movement.

b.       Members of the NAACP worked with local church leaders to secure total support of the boycott from the black community. Thus the Montgomery Bus Boycott had its origins in grassroots black activism and in two well-established black organizations, the NAACP and the church.

c.        The success of the movement was a result of total unanimity of the 50 000 black population in Montgomery.  Though bus boycotts were not a new tactic (first used in Baton Rouge, 1953), the Montgomery boycott was significant because it was extremely organized and effective (because it lasted one year).

d.       Increased white extremism during the boycott only worked to increase black unity and determination. Eventually similar successful boycotts were inspired in 20 other Southern cities.

e.       The boycott brought King to the forefront of the movement. In 1957 he established the new organization, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). This was important because the NAACP was increasingly persecuted in the South since BROWN.

2.       A "nonviolent resistance" campaign led by Martin Luther King was organized in Birmingham, Alabama, in April 1963. The aim was to force desegregation of public facilities with boycotts, sit-ins, and demonstrations through mass arrests. More than 3 000 blacks were hauled to jail.

a.        King chose to concentrate on Birmingham for several reasons:

                                                   i.      The SCLC was strong in Birmingham, whereas there was little affiliation with the NAACP and the SNCC. This way, divisions between blacks in the movement could be avoided.

                                                  ii.      Furthermore, white divisions in Birmingham were favourable to the movement—white businessmen felt that racism held the city back, while white extremists demonstrated enough aggression (e.g. a black man was recently castrated) to produce the kind of violent white oppression that won national sympathy. 

b.       When demonstrations began, Public Safety Commissioner 'Bull' Conner (who was a determined segregationist) responded violently and attracted significant publicity—protesters were assaulted with fire hoses, police dogs, clubs and fists. This was expected and demonstrated skilful manipulation of the news media. 

c.        JFK saw the situation as damaging to international reputation of the USA. Therefore, Birmingham was crucial in persuading the Kennedy administration to push the bill that eventually became the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

                                                   i.      Bobby Kennedy urged its passage, stating that "if King loses, worse leaders are going to take his place."

3.       The March on Washing (August 1963) aimed to encourage passage of the civil rights bill and executive action to increase black employment.

a.        King believed the March would maintain black morale and advertise the effectiveness of non-violent protest.

b.       It was quite successful--the predominantly middle class crowd was around 250 000, and a quarter of them were white.

c.        Kings ‘I have a dream’ speech made a powerful appeal to white America, with strong references to the Declaration of Independence and the Bible.

                                                   i.      The March impressed television audiences across the world, as King displayed the morality of the movement in a way that could not be doubted.

4.       King mobilized the black community to challenge segregation laws in the South through non-violent marches. One example: voter registration march in Selma, Alabama in 1965, where only 23 blacks were registered to vote.

a.        Selma's police forces under Sheriff Jim Clark reacted brutally, as King had expected. The first day of the march was known as “Bloody Sunday” because 600 blacks were attacked by police authorities.  As a result, several incidents made headlines.

b.       Johnson and Congress would likely not have delivered the Voting Rights Act without Selma. As a result, several incidents made headlines.

c.        However Selma deepened black divisions. The SCLC’s eventual retreat from Selma caused the SNCC to accuse King of using the area for publicity and increased donations and using the money in the North (e.g. Chicago). The SNCC felt betrayed and resented King.

d.       Let the Trumpets Sound: Life of MLK Jr. Stephen Oates “Selma was the movement’s finest hour.”

Failures

5.       Example of a failure: The Albany movement involved sit-ins in Albany bus stations organized by the SNCC in 1961.

a.        King led the march and came to a promising agreement with city authorities, however the agreement was reneged after the movement received bad publicity due to black violence.

b.       The police officials carefully avoided violence, so federal intervention did not come to intervene. Again this showed importance of federal intervention.

6.       Riots in Watts (Los Angeles) in August 1965. Black mobs set fire to several blocks of stores.

a.        When King intervened, he realized that though he had achieved some degree of de facto political equality for blacks (e.g. the right to be served at a restaurant), he had not achieved economic equality (e.g. the money to buy from the restaurant) for blacks to take advantage of these rights.

b.       King commented that this was a class revolt of underprivileged against privileged ...the main issue is economic."

c.        This marked a shift away from non-violent protest in the mid-1960s.

7.       In January 1966, the SCLC under King attempted to start a movement in Chicago ghettos against segregated housing. The movement was poorly organized and there was a lack of clearly defined issues, and the rally turnout in July was 30 000--much less than the anticipated 100 000.

a.        Riots resulted in $2 million in damage, which Chicago Mayor Richard Daley implicated the SCLC on.  As a result, whites increasingly thought of blacks as troublemakers on welfare.

b.       King failed to develop grassroots participation and this secured failure. King's influence was markedly declining by 1966, and blacks from the NAACP or all the local Chicago churches refused to join King.

                                                   i.      Divisions amongst blacks were strong and many were becoming frustrated with King’s non-violent approach, claiming it was too moderate. It brought ‘paper victories’ but change was slow.

However, by 1966, King’s leadership began to decline.  Younger blacks from the North rejected King’s emphasis on the South, the ‘white man’s’ Christian  Many young radicals, particularly in the North, criticized him for being too moderate and inclusive in his movement.  New attitudes and leaders emerged wanting a more radical, aggressive approach causing the Civil Rights movement to split.  By 1968, he was assassinated.

Mark Newman. The Civil Rights Movement (2001).
The Montgomery Bus Boycott "did not spark a mass movement" and cites the SCLC's early ineffectiveness as proof.