The Civil Rights movement provided a period of dynamic changes in the infrastructures as well as the social constructs that were embedded and internalized in this country for hundreds of years. The movement was a culmination of many emotions such as anger and tension which built up over time and lead to an all out rebellion. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke on the procrastination and subsequent denial of rights in his "Letter From a Birmingham Jail", he says "justice to long delayed is justice denied...the patience is over"(King, 63). He also says that "to arouse the conscience of the community" it was necessary that "justice must be demanded by the oppressed"(King, 62). During the middle fifties and through the sixties the Civil Rights movement captivated the media's attention and segregation issues were a permanent fixture in the spotlight. It may seem that problems from segregation were limited to the South however, the issues were not. The South was often the cite of violence but racism was not limited to that region. The uprising of the oppressed was not a product of an overnight realization and many of the driving forces of the movement were deeply, if not wholly based

Nelson Jack. "A Hero Of our Time." Lexis-Nexis 14 July

Lincoln, Abraham, et al. On Civil Disobedience. Chicago:

Transformed by Civil Rights" Lexis-Nexis 12 Sept.

"The only obligation which I have a right to

Carroll, Jon. "A Black Space in the Sky." Lexis-Nexis 14

Thoreau felt that it was a sort of tradition in America to be defiant to authority. The European dominant culture who "created" our country did so through rebellion. It is important to note that "Civil Disobedience" was written years before the Civil Rights movement was ever suggested. The concept of justice and conscience are motivating themes in his essay. Civil disobedience supplied the movement with a sound foundation to build on. Moreover it gave the Civil Rights movement a sort of nobleness. The movement and demonstrations were carried out through peaceful actions with the demonstrators holding their heads high, knowing that they could, at any time, be beaten or attacked. "Civil Disobedience" called for a government that "governed not at all" (Thoreau, 11). Thoreau said that a "majority rule must be based on justice" (Thoreau, 13). The aspects of individuality and inclusive thinking that Thoreau used in civil disobedience were contrary to all the stereotypes and margins that the white dominant culture wanted the blacks to believe. However philo-sophical and deeply rooted in the theological the issues dealing with civil disobedience may seem, often the response to civil disobedience was physical and violent. King said "civil disobedience is not the creator of tension. It merely brings to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive"(King, 65). In contrast, the whites said that the action of civil disobedience "even though peaceful must be condemned because they precipitate violence"(King, 65-66). Bus boycotts, sit-ins, freedom rides, and marches are all forms of civil disobedience. In many cases the acts of civil disobedience turned violent when white supremacists would attack the demonstrators. The violence, subsequent arrests, and beatings were not unprepared for by the oppressed, King stated that it was ones "legal and moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws...one who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly and with a willingness to accept the punishment"(King, 69).

1999

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Approximate Word count = 2093
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)