5 Methods of Protest During the Civil Rights Movement
Method 1: Boycotts- Peaceful form of protest in which people refuse to by or use certain goods, which causes a business to have a loss of money.
Ex: The Montgomery Bus Boycott was when African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, the protest began on December 5, 1955, and ended on December 20, 1956. The protest was successful because on federal court ruled that any law requiring racially segregated seating on buses violated the 14th Amendment.
http://(http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/montgomery-bus-boycott)
Method 2: Sit-ins- Non-violent protest, the protesters sit down in a public place and refuse to move, which causes that business to lose customers.
Ex: Greensboro, North Carolina on February 1, 1960, the four students sat down at the lunch counter at the Woolworth’s Diner in Greensboro, where the policy was to refuse service to anyone but whites. Beginning on February 1, 1960 , the four young men refused to give up their seats. The following day more than 300
students joined their cause, and by the end of March the cause had spread into more than 55 other cities in 13 states. In the end the Woolworth diner had desegregated and served four African-Americans.
http://(http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/the-greensboro-sit-in)
Method 3: Non-violent refusal to obey a law that the protester considers to be unjust.
Ex: Freedom Rides On May 4, 1961, a group of 13 African-American and white civil rights protesters launched the Freedom Rides, a series of bus trips through the American South to protest segregation in bus terminals. The Freedom Riders left from Washington, D.C., and attempted to integrate facilities at bus terminals along the way into the South. The group encountered violence from white protesters along the route, but also drew attention to their cause. As a result on September 1961, the Interstate Commerce Commission issued regulations prohibiting segregation in bus and train stations.
http://(http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedom-rides)
Method 4: Marches- Peaceful gathering of people in a public place, which would show the government how many people supported the Civil Rights Movement.
Ex: March on Washington on August 28, 1963, 200,000 Americans gathered in Washington, D.C., for a political rally for Jobs and Freedom. Executive Order 8802 was issued in June 1941, which forbid any discrimination and also established the FEPC.
http://(http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/march-on-washington)
Method 5: Violent Militant Groups- Violent form of protest, when people gather and do not obey the law by doing violent actions, to support a cause.
Ex: Watts Riots were riots that lasted for six days and ended in over $40 million in property damage. The riots were started because of black motorist was pulled over and arrested, for the suspicion of driving while intoxicated. The rioting claimed the lives of 34 people, one thousand injuries, and four thousand arrests. Even with the rioting the city leaders still failed to make any changes to improve the social and economic conditions for African Americans in the Watts neighborhood.
(http://crdl.usg.edu/events/watts_riots/?Welcome)
Most Effective Method: My opinion in which method was the most influential would have to marches because of the amount of people that would attend a march would show that their cause is being supported by hundreds even thousands of individuals. A great example of this would be the march on Washington where 200,000 Americans gathered in Washington, DC.
Ex: The Montgomery Bus Boycott was when African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, the protest began on December 5, 1955, and ended on December 20, 1956. The protest was successful because on federal court ruled that any law requiring racially segregated seating on buses violated the 14th Amendment.
http://(http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/montgomery-bus-boycott)
Method 2: Sit-ins- Non-violent protest, the protesters sit down in a public place and refuse to move, which causes that business to lose customers.
Ex: Greensboro, North Carolina on February 1, 1960, the four students sat down at the lunch counter at the Woolworth’s Diner in Greensboro, where the policy was to refuse service to anyone but whites. Beginning on February 1, 1960 , the four young men refused to give up their seats. The following day more than 300
students joined their cause, and by the end of March the cause had spread into more than 55 other cities in 13 states. In the end the Woolworth diner had desegregated and served four African-Americans.
http://(http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/the-greensboro-sit-in)
Method 3: Non-violent refusal to obey a law that the protester considers to be unjust.
Ex: Freedom Rides On May 4, 1961, a group of 13 African-American and white civil rights protesters launched the Freedom Rides, a series of bus trips through the American South to protest segregation in bus terminals. The Freedom Riders left from Washington, D.C., and attempted to integrate facilities at bus terminals along the way into the South. The group encountered violence from white protesters along the route, but also drew attention to their cause. As a result on September 1961, the Interstate Commerce Commission issued regulations prohibiting segregation in bus and train stations.
http://(http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedom-rides)
Method 4: Marches- Peaceful gathering of people in a public place, which would show the government how many people supported the Civil Rights Movement.
Ex: March on Washington on August 28, 1963, 200,000 Americans gathered in Washington, D.C., for a political rally for Jobs and Freedom. Executive Order 8802 was issued in June 1941, which forbid any discrimination and also established the FEPC.
http://(http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/march-on-washington)
Method 5: Violent Militant Groups- Violent form of protest, when people gather and do not obey the law by doing violent actions, to support a cause.
Ex: Watts Riots were riots that lasted for six days and ended in over $40 million in property damage. The riots were started because of black motorist was pulled over and arrested, for the suspicion of driving while intoxicated. The rioting claimed the lives of 34 people, one thousand injuries, and four thousand arrests. Even with the rioting the city leaders still failed to make any changes to improve the social and economic conditions for African Americans in the Watts neighborhood.
(http://crdl.usg.edu/events/watts_riots/?Welcome)
Most Effective Method: My opinion in which method was the most influential would have to marches because of the amount of people that would attend a march would show that their cause is being supported by hundreds even thousands of individuals. A great example of this would be the march on Washington where 200,000 Americans gathered in Washington, DC.