Martin Luther King, Jr.: Apostle of Militant Nonviolence PDF
Preview Martin Luther King, Jr.: Apostle of Militant Nonviolence
JR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Also by James A. Colaiaco and published by Macmillan JAMES FITZJAMES STEPHEN AND THE CRISIS OF VICTORIAN THOUGHT Martin Luther King, Jr. Apostle of Militant Nonviolence James A. Colaiaco M MACMILLAN PRESS ©James A. Colaiaco 1988 Softcover reprint of the hardcover lst edition 1988 978-0-333-39798-5 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended), or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 33-4 Alfred Place, London WClE 7DP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First published 1988 Published by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world Typeset by Wessex Typesetters (Division of The Eastern Press Ltd) Frome, Somerset British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Colaiaco, James A. Martin Luther King, Jr.: apostle of militant nonviolence. 1. United States. Black persons. Gvil rights movements. Non-violent action. King, Martin Luther, 1929-1968 I. Title 323.1'196073'024 ISBN 978-1-349-08225-4 ISBN 978-1-349-08223-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-08223-0 To Nancy, my kindred spirit Contents Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1 1 Montgomery: The Walking City, 1955-6 5 2 Nonviolence Spreads in the South, 1957-61 20 3 The Lessons of Albany, Georgia, 1961-2 40 4 Birmingham and the March on Washington, 1963 54 5 Interlude: King's Letter to America 77 6 The Struggle Continues, 1964 96 7 Selma and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 116 8 Interlude: The Paradox of Nonviolence 137 9 A New Direction: Chicago, 1966 149 10 King Takes a Radical Stand, 1967-8 178 11 Epilogue 199 Notes and References 204 Select Bibliography 219 Index 227 vii Acknowledgements Anyone who studies the American civil rights movement must acknowledge the efforts of the many scholars who have contributed to our understanding of the role of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the nonviolent method. Their research and writings have assisted me in forming my own views of King, his nonviolent method and the black freedom struggle. In addition, I wish to thank my colleague Marc Crawford, who shared with me his first-hand knowledge of the civil rights movement, and gave the entire book a perceptive reading. I was privileged to have brief conversations with James Baldwin, Floyd McKissick and James Forman. I am grateful to my parents, Helen and Alfred Colaiaco, for their abiding support. My father also gave each chapter a careful reading. I wish to thank Sam Ruggeri, my computer consultant, whose expert advice saved me hours of labour. My mother-in-law, Josephine Ruggeri, provided some important articles and video tapes. The resources of the Bobst Library of New York University were of immense help to me. I also wish to express my gratitude to the General Studies Program of New York University for providing me with the time necessary to pursue my scholarly interests. My greatest debt is to my wife, Nancy Ruggeri Colaiaco, who read each draft of the book, offering many suggestions for its improvement. Over the past few years, we have engaged in continual discussion of King and the civil rights movement. I am deeply grateful for her insight, encouragement and love. Needless to say, although this book has profited from the readings and assistance of others, I alone bear responsibility for its contents. Baldwin, New York JAMES A. CoLAIACO ix Acknowledgements X The author and the publisher wish to thank the following who have kindly given permission for the use of copyright material: 'The Letter from Birmingham Jail', in Why We Can't Wait by Martin Luther King, Jr. Copyright© 1963 by Martin Luther King, Jr. Excerpts reprinted by permission of Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., and by permission of Joan Daves. Chapters 5 and 8 in this book are expanded versions of two articles by the author published in Phylon: 'The American Dream Unfulfilled: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Letter from Birmingham Jail'. Phylon 45 (Spring 1984), pp. 1-18. 'Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Paradox of Nonviolent Direct Action'. Phylon 47 (Spring 1986), pp. 16-28. Permission to reprint excerpts granted by Phylon - The Atlanta University Review of Race and Culture. Introduction Martin Luther King, Jr. ranks among the greatest political strategists of all time. From the mid-1950s until the late 1960s, he was the most important leader of a nonviolent civil rights movement that transformed the politics of America and inspired oppressed people throughout the world. During this period, black Americans attained more progress than in the previous century. The system of de jure segregation was overturned in the South and essential legislation was enacted, enabling blacks to make significant strides toward resolving what Swedish sociologist Gunnar Myrdal called in 1944 the American Dilemma - the conflict between the nation's demo cratic ideals of freedom and equality, and its practice of denying basic rights to black citizens. It has become well-known that King's fame was created by the movement. He never failed to give due credit to those dedicated leaders and organizations, in addition to the thousands of local activists, who were instrumental in generating the support necess ary to make the black freedom struggle a mass movement. Never theless, under King's leadership, more blacks than ever before were inspired to protest for constitutional rights they had been deprived of for generations. Even in a democracy, recognizing the right of citizens to petition for a redress of grievances, some injustices cannot be rectified through institutionalized political channels. Denied the right to vote, oppressed by segregationist legislatures, frustrated by the gradualism of the courts and virtually ignored by the federal government, blacks had to find an alternative means to bring about reforms in accord with racial justice. By the early 1960s, King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) - the protest organization he headed since 1957-had perfected a method of militant nonviolent direct action to confront Jim Crow in the South and awaken the conscience of America to the evils of racism. Although numerous individuals contributed to the success of the movement, the black freedom struggle would not have taken the same direction or achieved as much without King. 1 J.A. Colaiaco, Martin Luther King, Jr. © James A. Colaiaco 1988
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