The US Civil Rights Movement
The US’s modern civil rights movement grew after years of social protest. Martin Luther King, the Black Panther Party program, urban riots, and Brown vs Education Board were all personalities and events associated with the civil movement keen to regain the rights of African Americans in the US. Before violent protests broke out, most African American civil rights movement advocates resorted to democratically engaging with majority white governments, fearing that violent and affirmative engagement would trigger a direct and vile response from the government’s part. Martin Luther King was one of the inspirational leaders whose popular nationwide ideas triggered assertive protests to advance the interests of African Americans. The American civil rights movement used diplomacy and assertiveness to demand black people’s rights.
The black panther program and Martin Luther shared a lot of ideological similarities in the fight for black people’s rights. Throughout many of his speeches, Martin Luther avers his desire for a nation where the economic interests of the minority black community are taken care of. A few months before his death, Martin Luther started the Poor People’s Campaign, a radical outfit to fight for black people’s inclusion in the mainstream socio-economic dispensation. Martin Luther’s anti-poverty campaign largely aligned with the Black Panther Program, a movement that was so popular for the free breakfast students were offered (Bloom and Martin, pp 1-4). One of the demands of the black panther movement was the demand for full employment for Africans with qualifications.
On the other hand, the urban riots in US cities culminated in the influence of the civil rights movement and Martin Luther’s campaign for black people’s rights. Although most riots were sponsored and organized, some were sporadic (Myers, 94). A good example to illustrate the intent and resolve among rioters is the Harlem riot, which was an immediate response to the shooting of a black young man. Although the protest began peacefully, it later became violent and spread to other cities. The protest also took a racial direction when young protesters began attacking and looting white-owned businesses. Another violent aspect of the protest was that unguarded whites were attacked if they tried to enter Harlem. Over 155 riots took place in the aftermath as rioters took advantage of the rallies to advance black people’s rights. The strategy deviates from Martin Luther’s since he advocated for a peaceful but affirmative strategy to fight white supremacy.
In Brown vs. the Board of Education, young American activists sought to challenge a discriminatory segregation policy against black children. Some states cited in the case include North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, and Kansas. One of the policies in these states that were challenged in the case is that although black and white students were separated, the schools were equal in resource allocation. Brown made a case against that assertion by affirming that black schools were deprived of key resources (Goldstein, 781). Although the court was initially divided, the chief justice successfully influenced others to deliver a unanimous verdict. The court’s ruling partly ended the separate but equal doctrine practiced in some states (Goldstein, 783). The ruling may not have achieved its intended purpose, but it was key in triggering nascent civil movements across the states and particular resistance in the South. The immediate impact of the ruling was a boycott to surrender a seat by Rosa Parks and subsequent arrest, triggering boycotts and sit-ins, some of which were attended and addressed by Martin Luther King.
According to Hudec (18), Martin Luther embraced a non-violent, persuasive, and affirmative approach in dealing with oppressors. One of the keynote speeches by the public speaker was made following the Rosa Parks bus boycott, which triggered nationwide protests. In his speech, Martin Luther King reinforced his support for black communities and their need to stand up against oppressors. However, there is a contrast in strategy between the Black Panther’s program strategies and what Martin Luther believed in. For instance, Martin Luther was against the campaign of arming black people as a defense against an oppressive police force as proposed by the Black Panther Party Program (Bloom and Martin, 4). Despite the differences in approach, the Black Panther Party program captures Martin Luther’s aspirations for the black community.
The civil rights movement differed from the suffrage movement. One of the differences between the civil rights movement and counterculture and women’s rights movements is leadership. African Americans led the civil rights movement, while women from any race led the feminist movement. Also, the civil rights movement accommodated wider interests and groups since it involved catering to all Americans, while suffragists only took care of a smaller group of disenfranchised women.
In summary, the US civil rights movement of the 1960s used diplomacy and violence to advance the rights of Black Americans. Martin Luther is one of the uniting figures for all movements following his inspirational speeches that were a call to action among Black Americans. The Black Panther Party program also played a key role in advocating for the minority community, including the call for economic involvement through employment. However, its policies were termed to be radical. Another aspect that played a huge role in advancing black people’s rights was the sporadic and organized urban protests. It is worth noting that some protests later pitied the black and white races against each other.
Works Cited
Bloom, Joshua, and Waldo E Martin. Black against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party. Berkeley, University Of California Press, 2016.
Goldstein, Joel. Approaches to Brown v. Board of Education: Some Notes on Approaches to Brown v. Board of Education: Some Notes on Teaching a Seminal Case Teaching a Seminal Case. Vol. 49, 2005, core.ac.uk/download/pdf/327143923.pdf.
Hudec, Lukáš. Martin Luther King’s persuasive strategies in selected political speeches. Diss. Masaryk University, Faculty of Education, 2022.
Myers, Daniel J. “Racial Rioting in the 1960S: An Event History Analysis of Local Conditions.” American Sociological Review, vol. 62, no. 1, 1997, pp. 94–112. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/2657454.pdf?ab_segments=0%252Fbasic_SYC- 5144%252Ftest&refreqid=excelsior%3Ae3da926db1ef7d062851cea925762613, https://doi.org/10.2307/2657454. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
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Question 
What was the relationship between Martin Luther King, the Black Panther Party Program, urban riots, and Brown v. the Board of Education? What are some of the similarities and differences between the four?
The US Civil Rights Movement
What does an examination of them reveal to us about the Civil Rights movement in the US? What were some of the similarities and differences between the Civil Rights, counterculture, and women’s rights movements?
Notes:
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