Assignment 1

In every society there are individuals who criticize what they don’t like. To be herd these individuals sometimes come together as one and organize themselves to create a social movement. As these groups of people move forward to reach their goals they often find peaceful measures to achieve it. Other times in order to create change in society or in policy there are others who seem to think that they need to resort to extreme measures and even violence. The struggle between radicalism and assimilation during social movements can either push a movement forward or break the movement. These struggles can be seen in movements such as the anti-Vietnam war movement, the women’s movement, the gay rights movement, and the Chicano protest movement.

In the anti-Vietnam war movement many people shared the same idea against fighting the war in Vietnam. Some groups like the Students for Democratic Society (SDS) held peaceful demonstrations in Washington; others held “congressional lobbying, [and] electoral challenges (Wells).” While other groups felt the same way towards the war they resorted to more extreme radical measures like civil disobedience and political violence. As the war in Vietnam continued the movement against the war gained more and more supporters. It got to the point where some people began to wonder if the Vietnam War was worth the split in society. Eventually troops were withdrawn and the draft was ended. The anti-Vietnam war movement was one of the most successful protests because they all had the same common goal but demonstrator across the country always had conflicting ideas about how to carry out their protest. Never the less, through peaceful and violent protest the people created change and reached their goal.

In the women’s movement in the 1960’s many women where fed up being treated like second class citizens. They protested together in non violent groups demanding support for the equal rights amendment. Women also wanted to make it a point that violence against women was unacceptable. By coming together as one woman were able to gain political posts, access to better education, and an equal opportunity in the job industry. As can be seen in this movement, working together and coordinating protest whether peaceful or radical makes it easier and more affective for voices to be herd.

In the gay rights movement the protest began out of discrimination and brutality when police raided gay establishments in New York in 1969 (Goodwin and Jasper, 36). As the raids continued a gay riot was started and violence broke out. This and other events led many gay men and women to come together and eventually form the gay rights movement. Many gay rights groups thought of themselves as radicals. They formed protests and when confronted with police officials many demonstrations turned bloody. Other times gay militants followed politicians and jumped in front of cameras to carry out their message. Even though the gay rights movement started out very radical, many gay men and women came together for the purpose of improving their quality of life and bring about change in the way there are viewed in society.

Moving on to the Chicano protest movement, it began as a protest through out universities. The movement called for the admission of minorities and people of color and to establish Chicano studies programs. The movement moved forward as Chicano activist took seats in school boards, as they protested along side the Black civil rights movement, and by forming organizations such as the National Association of Chicana and Chicano Scholars. The need to assemble an organization to fight for better education, higher economic/political status, and equal rights brought them together and has proven beneficial to their cause and progress.

After looking at all these movements and also others where Dr. King Jr. and Malcolm X were involved, I don’t believe one strategy is more valid than the other. In both cases, whether it was a peaceful movement or a more radical one, what mattered was not how they carried out the demonstration; it was the purpose of the demonstration and the significance of it. One example was the gay rights movement. The movement was radical, yet it appealed to many who were gay and convinced them that it was an important issue to fight for. Another example to prove my point was Chicano protest movement. The movement was very civil, Chicano’s and Chicana’s brought about change through activist in universities and through many peaceful protests for equality.

In the article, The Unfinished Dialogue of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. by Clayborne Carson, he argues that the position of Malcolm X. and Dr. King were reconcilable. I believe that statement is correct to an extent. Both Dr. King and Malcolm X shared the same common goal but the difference was the way they were going to achieve their purpose. In Dr. King’s view, if change was to come it was going to come through peaceful demonstrations and by obeying the law. In Malcolm X’s view change needed to be demanded and taken at all cost. They both knew that with more support from people change would come but because of their differences in the way they carried out protests they were unable to cooperate with each other and form a stronger movement. One thing Malcolm X could have done differently would have been to stop insulting Dr. King’s method of protesting. On the other hand one thing Dr. King could have done differently is to get passed the insults and cooperate in peaceful demonstration when Malcolm X asked for his support. In either case if each one could see pass their own issues and looked at the bigger picture there could have reconciled their differences and come together as one.



Foot Note:

Goodwin, J. & Jasper, J. M. (2009). The Social Movement Reader: Cases and Concepts. The Atrium, Southern Gate,Chichester, West Sussex. Blackwell Publishing.

Wells, Tom. (1999). The Oxford Companion to American Military History. Oxford UP.