Civil Equality: How We Got There

“Civil Equality: How We Got There”

The main issue of civil inequality during the sixties was the Civil Rights Movement. It was the route under United States law that moved towards racial equality. The goal was to eliminate racial discrimination against African Americans and bring together the black and white communities. During this time there were assorted approaches to end this civil inequality.

The most commonly preached method to terminate racial inequality in the sixties was non-violent resistance. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the most well known civil rights leader in the United States that introduced this method. He had once stated that, “our aim is not to defeat the white community, not to humiliate the white community, but to win the friendship of all persons who had perpetrated this system in the past” (King, 15). He believed that the struggle against racial discrimination was not one between African Americans and White, but between justice and injustice.

King’s philosophy of non-violent resistance was a philosophical tactic in elimination of racial inequality. He made it his point to let people know that non-violence is not a sign of weakness, but rather a compelling way to resolve their troubles. For a nation that so often sees hatred and war, King used lateral thinking to work out a problem from a perspective that has not been used or even thought of; non-violence. He practiced calmness and restraint to institute non-violence and social change without disgracing or physically suppressing their opponent, “the nonviolent resister does not seek to humiliate or defeat the opponent but to win his friendship and understanding” (King, 15.)

Although King’s style was forceful and successful, there were other civil rights figures that used more practical modes to get where they wanted to go. The Civil Rights Movement is well known for its many demonstrations against racial inequality that played out during the sixties. These approaches were also...