The study of African Americans has been a prominent point of interest since the arrival of blacks in what was to become the United States. Since their arrival to America via the Atlantic Trade, blacks in America have been faced with incredible and often inconceivable challenges in every aspect of life, from basic human rights to civil liberties to social equalities. Throughout those years, there have been varying responses to these deliberate injustices. Notable in recent times are the varying approaches to protestation, often crystallized in reference to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. Each of the two forms of militant and non-violent protestation assumed by Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., respectively, can be traced back to the mid 1860's. Therefore this paper will focus on these two forms of African American resistance to white supremacy during this time. In doing so, this paper will illustrate that while the struggle for equality was an unintentionally collaborative effort between the two forms of protests; the non-violent approach was ultimately the most effective.
[...] As a result of these efforts, light was shown on the dark facts of the existence of such drastic inequalities, and Americans were forced to reckon with the reality of racial injustice and inequality in the United States. The nonviolent and militant approaches both increased public interest and awareness, but it was the nonviolent approach which proved to be more effective in achieving the desired goal. While black nationalists created a sense of protection and empowerment, they did not achieve their ultimate goals. [...]
[...] Finkenbine ( NY: Pearson Education, Inc [viii] Finkenbine, Sources of the African American Past Ibid Ibid Elliott M Rudwick, National Negro Committee Conference of the Phylon Quarterly 18, no (1957) http://www.jstor.org/stable/273282 [xii] Gilbert Ware, “Lobbying as a Means of Protest: The NAACP as an Agent of Equality,” The Journal of Negro Education 33, no (1964) http://www.jstor.org/stable/2294575 [xiii] Ware, “Lobbying as a Means of Protest.” [xiv] Ibid [xv]Finkenbine, Sources of the African American Past. [xvi] Ibid [xvii] Ibid [xviii] Harris, Jessica Christina, “Revolutionary Black Nationalism: The Black Panther Party.” The Journal of Negro History no (2000) http://summit.csuci.edu:2080/action/showBasicSearch?cookieSet=1 [xix] Finkenbine, Sources of the African American Past Harris, “Revolutionary Black Nationalism.” Notes 1. [...]
[...] The struggle for civil rights and equality, dating back to the Reconstructive Era, was an unintentional collaborative effort, in the sense that though the different voices of the times employed different approaches and had different ideas of what their accomplished goal would look like, the same ultimate goal of equality, protection, and liberty under the law. To illustrate: Martin Luther King's vision of black freedom consisted of changes within the system which would benefit all Americans; Malcolm X's vision of black freedom was a vision of isolation and independence from white America, and a complete overthrow of the system. [...]
[...] Militant voices were not the only sounds of the Progressive area, as nonviolent efforts were made by many African American citizens and encouraged by individuals such as Booker T. Washington. His approach was one of accommodation and acceptance of the discrimination and persecution, with a focus on economic development within the black community. Far from DuBois' demand for immediate equality, Washington embraced the hard the struggle for equality and encouraged a willingness to prove one's worth to the white population.[x] Rather than claiming an inherent right to equality like DuBois, Washington was willing to look at equality as something to be earned. [...]
[...] Another significant voice on behalf of African Americans in the South was that of the Radical Republicans. Among this group was Charles Sumner, a senator from Massachusetts, whose political career seemed to be centered on the struggle for equal rights.[iv] The most compelling example of the efforts of Sumner and his Radical Republican colleagues is the passage of the Civil Rights Bill on March which: Was supposed to secure the Negro the privilege of riding in public conveyances, of entertainment at hotels, of attending the theatre or places of amusement without discrimination on account of color or previous condition of servitude.[v] This bill was passed after Sumner encouraged multiple petitions of numerous African Americans.[vi] The Civil Rights Law, as it had become, was declared unconstitutional on October by Justice Bradley, on the grounds that the 14th Amendment granted African Americans protection from discrimination under the law, but did not secure protection from discrimination from his fellow man. [...]
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