Birmingham Campaign Case Study

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Birmingham Campaign: Livvi Kemp What happened? Generalization: Non-violent protesting was an effective method of initiating change for the Black Civil Rights movement. In January 1963, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) targeted Birmingham for their next series of demonstrations to help lay foundation for positive change against racism. Birmingham was chosen to attract maximum publicity and black support, as it was one of the most racially segregated cities in America. SCLC knew that they could obtain substantial publicity by encouraging Birmingham’s discriminatory Police Commissioner Eugene “Bull” Connor to react violently to protests. Martin Luther King, leader of SCLC announced he would go to Birmingham to lead non-violent…show more content…
These injunctions were ignored, and on the 12th of April they led 50 volunteers in peaceful protest. Eugene Connor had all 50 arrested, King for the 13th time. King was put into solitary confinement, causing considerable controversial publicity as solitary confinement was considered a method of torture. While in confinement King wrote his famous “Letter from Birmingham jail”, in response to a smuggled letter from Birmingham religious leaders criticizing the SCLC. King was released on the 20th of April, as SCLC urged President John F. Kennedy to intervene on Kings behalf. When King was discharged, he was dismayed to find that practically all demonstrations had died…show more content…
Generalization: Martin Luther King was the most influential individual involved with American Black Civil Rights. Martin Luther King was a strictly non-violent black civil rights protestor who motivated thousands to stand up against racism. King was a charismatic public speaker and writer who used persuasive words to gather followers. An example of this during the Birmingham campaign was his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which was one of the most significant pieces of writing supporting civil rights. It was important to the civil rights movement as it illustrated how blacks were treated whilst explaining why King believed we need to become “extremists for love”. King was also the leader of the prominent group Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), who initiated the Birmingham campaign. They planned the majority of the demonstrations which eventually generated desegregation. SCLC was such a powerful organization that Birmingham’s leaders were compelled to negotiate desegregation with them. Through his own public speaking and SCLC, King involved over 9000 protestors in the campaign. Approximately 2000 of these were recorded as young school children. These black volunteers risked being arrested, blasted by hoses, attacked by dogs, and being physically and verbally abused for the sake of freedom and

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