Conflict Week 5: Non-Violence

**This was originally posted a few years ago, but removed because of some terrible spam issues.**

Taken from “The Quest for Peace and Justice” (1964)

by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. I am not unmindful of the fact that violence often brings about momentary results. Nations have frequently won their independence in battle. But in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones. Violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding: it seeks to annihilate rather than convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends up defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.”

audio:

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-lecture.html

video- freedom rides, non-violent tactics

After reading the quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and watching the video. Please answer the following questions and press submit:

Name(required)

After reading the quote, make a list of 5 things that VIOLENCE does:

Now list 5 things that NON-VIOLENCE does:

After watching the video, what are some examples of non-violent, direct action?

What kind of training did the Freedom Riders endure?

How does non-violent direct action create CHANGE?

Submit

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