Martin Luther King Jr., who assumed the role of unofficial leader of the African-American civil rights movement during the 1950s. King adopted the non-violent approach of the great Indian leader Mohandas K. Gandhi, and the push for civil rights became largely a peaceful movement.
By the mid-1960s, however, other blacks became disenchanted with non-violence. It took too long to change anything, they argued. Force had to be met with force. Malcolm X, whom you will read about in Chapter 29, famously advised his fellow blacks, "If someone puts a hand on you, send him to the cemetery."
Did Malcolm X have a point? After all, violent episodes like war do seem to bring about change rather quickly. Should more blacks have abandoned King's non-violent approach and literally fought for their rights? Would that have improved their lives sooner? In short, is violence or non-violence the most effective way to achieve social change?