When we look at the theory of Non-Violence adapted by Dr. King we are introduced to many connections. Non-Violence is the practice of resisting violence itself. It is the belief that if you refrain from violence and allow your enemy to hurt you with verbal and physical weapons then you will come out victorious in the battle of putting a stopping halt to the race driven violence inflicted on African-Americans for many years. The main elements of Dr., King's theory of Non-Violence lies within the religion of Christianity and what the Greek defines as mirroring the love of God which is the term Agape. King relied deeply on both of these elements as he incorporated them into his Non-Violent teachings. The people that followed Non-violence would go on to display what they had previously learned by Dr. King during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Poor People’s campaign and the Birmingham march. King's Non-Violence theory was a success with most of the African-American culture because of his references to Christianity and agape at the same time seeing mass amounts of black people terribly beaten and not fighting back served as a way to create enough mass-hysteria to raise the eyebrows of society in America. I will use the text A Testament Of Hope Edited by James M. Washington to go into depth of King's Non-Violent theory and explain why it was a success. I will also Use Other texts such as Southern Horrors Edited by Jacqueline Jones Royster and When I Was A Slave Edited by Norman Yetman to fully explain the transformation of the black man from self-pity and acceptance to dignity and rebellion.
Dr. King was originally a preacher so he naturally borrowed and used the religious teachings from Christianity as a basis for Non-Violence. In the book A Testament Of Hope Edited by James M. Washington it contains many of Dr. King's writings, speeches and sermons about Non-Violence. Each chapter goes deeper into the theory as King lays out the blueprints to the ingenuity practice of Non-Violence. One essay written by Dr. king called The Most Durable Power discusses the relationship between Christianity and Non-Violence. He states “ Always be sure that you struggle with Christian methods and Christian weapons. Never succumb to the temptation of becoming biter” (Washington pg. 10). King introduces Non-Violence during a sermon and explains to the people that if they want to be successful in this practice then they must familiarize themselves with the teachings and disciplines of Christianity. In other words before actually going out and displaying acts of Non-Violence you must live,breathe and think like a christian. He uses the word “Struggle” to help African-Americans realize that it will not be easy to resist violence towards you but he assures them that the Christian way is the only option with successful outcomes in the end.
King often speaks about love when he is trying to explain Non-Violence to the public. Although it is not the love that is in relation to romance or loving someone one because they love you, which is defined by the Greek words Eros and Philia. However it is a type of love that the Greeks call Agape, the love of God. King defines Agape in an article titled Nonviolence and Racial Justice which appeared in Christian Century , the Premier Liberal Protestant Journal. as he quotes “ It means understanding, redeeming good will for all men. An over flowing love which seeks nothing in return” (King, Washington pg. 9). King introduces another part to Non-Violence refereeing to Agape and explaining how it does not mean love your enemy sentimentally but to love them the way God loves you. Not liking the actions played out by mankind but loving the person unconditionally no matter how bad they verbally and physically degrade you. It was very hard to win the hearts of the African-American society using the Non-Violent theory but some black urban communities eventually followed him.
The Non-Violence theory used by king was not very popular in its first stages. In fact it took a while before Non-Violence actually became a prominent idea in the minds of African Americans. Black people could not see themselves resisting violence and allowing the whites to physically and verbally harm them. They thought that the only way to win the battle of discrimination and segregation was through violent means. much rather found it King had to conduct many speeches and sermons to explain Non-Violence in its entirety and elaborate more on this new religious practice. In a trip to the Young Mans Christian Association (YMCA) and the Young Woman’s Christian association (YWCA) from the University of California at Berkeley King was asked to speak to an auditorium full of students about Non-Violence. He admits that it was quite challenging for people to understand that this was the way to decrease and eventually end discrimination and race driven violence.. He states “There was always a problem of getting this method over because it didn't make sense to most of the people in the beginning” (King,Washington pg 12). Remaining Non-violent was a preposterous idea to a lot of blacks and they could not see any other option worthy of success other than using violence in defense or out of anger. Many of them had the impression that practicing Non-Violence was a weak tactic but King assured them they were false. King states “ it is not a method of stagnant passivity and deadening complacency” (King, Washington pg 12). In other words he is assuring the students that practicing Non-Violence is the most courageous and strongest form of action you could ever attempt. Anybody can result to violence but it takes a well disciplined and strong minded human being to restrain themselves from violent tactics.
King and his movement of Non-Violence did not win the hearts of all blacks nor whites for that matter. However, a large number of African- Americans and some whites eventually gave in because violence only served as a temporary fix if any. It was that moment when a lot black people realized that returning to their ancient principles of violence would most likely result in an endless future of chaos. With that haunting thought recorded into the brains of many black folks from all ages they decided to go out and actually follow through with Non-Violence and practice on the streets of Birmingham, Montgomery and Washington DC. To be more specific King's followers practiced Non-Violence during the Birmingham march, the Montgomery bus-boycott and the Poor people's campaign. Three campaigns conducted by Dr. King using Non-Violence were driven by the many issues of society that needed to be addressed and ended. discrimination segregation and the growing population of poor people became the reason for these movements.
The Montgomery Bus-boycott started in the year 1955 and took place in, Montgomery Alabama. It was the arrest of 41 year old Rosa Parks that sparked this campaign after she got on a city bus and sat in the front of the black section. The driver of the bus was a white man and when another white person boarded the bus he ordered Ms. Parks to give up her seat but she rebelled against his wishes and continued to sit. The bus driver then called the police and had Rosa Parks arrested. King along with the rest of the black community of Montgomery heard about this incident and decided to establish a boycott against city buses. During this boycott 90 percent of blacks that would have usually rode the bus decided to take other forms of transportation instead. The violence then escalated through the streets of Montgomery Alabama after many blacks protested but for the first time African-Americans were not fighting back. They were harassed in the streets by white policemen and arrested. Dr. King was even affected by all of the violence inflicted upon blacks during the Birmingham bus boycott. According to sources from the Web Chronology project bombs were set off at the home of King himself. He was also charged with conspiracy for assembling and conducting the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Still while these series of unfortunate events surfaced King and his followers remained Non-Violent and did not try to intimidate or degrade any whites even when they were victims of it.
Another Campaign that was conducted by King was the Poor People's campaign. The poor People’s campaign was a movement solely based on the economic issues of society. The irony out of this situation was the fact that there were not only black people suffering economically but white people as well. The rate of destitute had increased tremendously in America and this was the perfect time for King to emphasize proof of equality between blacks and whites. However the concern of economic issues was not on the government’s list of priorities. Instead the government was more concerned with war, more specifically the Vietnam War. King assembled this campaign to put the spotlight on economic issues such as work not being guaranteed as well as income. Still with any of his movements or campaigns he still wanted his followers to practice Non-violence. King states “When the guns of war become a national obsession, social needs inevitably suffer. This idea of this campaign was to literally exploit the economic problem and make it so big and explicit that the government would find it worthy of fixing. King explains this tactic completely when he says “ Our idea is to dramatize the whole economic problem of the poor”
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