In the 1950s, the Supreme Court was beginning to recognize that black Americans deserve equal treatment from federal and state governments. The court's first and most influential decision was Brown v. Board of Education, which declared school segregation unconstitutional. Segregation was the division of public places, like parks, courts, schools, restaurants, and train stations, into separate black and white areas. Unofficial segregation could be found all over the country in the early 20th century, but it was the law in the South.
The victory in the case of Brown v. Board of Education invigorated the civil rights movement, a movement to earn equality and justice for black Americans that flourished in the 1950s and 60s. Once they acquired their first major victory, activists began pushing harder for more legal protection and expanded rights.
For more about the activists' approach to expanding civil rights, watch the video below:
In our modern, diverse world, getting lunch with people of different races isn’t a big deal--to the extent that we don’t even think about it.
In the segregated South of the 20th century, though, eating out at a restaurant was a “white only” or “black only” experience. You could be refused service based on your race. To make matters worse, the people who wanted to change the system were outnumbered and had little political power.
These little injustices led to frustration and anger, but a violent response would have been pointless: The pro-segregation population had all the power and controlled most police departments.
That’s why civil rights activists in the United States adopted nonviolent tactics.
It’s difficult to allow authorities to beat and insult you, but the reward is a unified, committed movement that shames oppressors by showing how cruel they are.
That’s why most nonviolent protests were successful. When authorities and pro-segregation forces attacked the peaceful protesters, the rest of the country turned against them. When injustice is out in the open, people are less willing to tolerate it.
We may take our diverse world for granted, but the equal treatment of customers today is a result of protesters and activists who faced serious challenges and dangerous situations.
Question
When are nonviolent protests more effective than violent protests?
