Barriers

There was disagreement about the fate of former slaves at the end of the Civil War. “One group argued for colonization, either by returning the slaves to Africa or creating their own homeland. In 1862 President Abraham Lincoln recognized the ex-slave countries of Haiti and Liberia, hoping to open up channels for colonization, with Congress allocating $600,000 to help. While the colonization plan did not pan out, the country, instead, set forth on a path of legally mandated segregation.” (History Channel Website) Disagreement took place over how much freedom that former slaves deserved--partial or total.

Under the system of segregation, African American people realized that they were being treated unfairly and wanted to fight back. It was Martin Luther King, Jr. and his contemporaries who decided to adopt the tactic of nonviolent protesting to fight segregation and injustice. Methods such as sit-ins and boycotts were employed.

Martin Luther King Jr.- nobelprize.org

“Birmingham, to be perfectly honest, was a grimm place through the eyes of an african american.”

- Myrna Carter Jackson, Mighty Times’ The Children’s March Documentary

For a time, African Americans had an opportunity to vote and serve in office in the system of Reconstruction. However, in 1877, Reconstruction ended and white supremacists turned to violence to attempt to stop Black leaders from stealing their power. Thus, white people were in charge of the political aspects of America.

The most famous case of a boycott was the Montgomery bus boycott. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger and police “...came on the bus and handcuffed her like she had stolen something. They treated her like a criminal. Put her hands behind her back and took her off the bus.” (Mineola Dozier Smith, NY Daily News). Black protesters “...decided to stay off the bus until they gave us justice.” (Mineola Dozier Smith, Montgomery Advertiser). The boycott lasted for a year, and the Supreme Court eventually ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional.

James Bevel-New York Times

Dr. King, James Bevel, and Fred Shuttlesworth were all Civil Rights leaders who encouraged nonviolent protests as a way to break the barrier of segregation. Bevel led the Children’s March and Shuttlesworth worked to convince Dr. King to use his influence to help desegregate Birmingham.

Fred Shuttlesworth -biography.com