beneath the human needs and interests that is serves.” Albert Camus states “Violence can only be an extreme limit which combats another form of violence, as, for example, in the case of insurrection” Both Arendt and Camus agree with King that Violence, although justifiable in extreme cases, can never be legitimate. King sought to legitimize the Civil Rights Movement by exhorting and adhering to a philosophy of non-violence grounded in morals and human ethics. When we hear the word “rebellion”, the first thought we have is that of violence, so it is of no coincidence that the pre-King black struggle for equal rights is predominantly remembered for its violence. Blacks were rent from their native Africa and forced to exist as slaves. The treatment of these people not only decimated their freedom but demeaned their humanity. Slave owners whipped and beat the slaves if the tried to escape and black slave girls were raped by their masters. Some refused to accept such oppression and began to rebel. Nat Turner, who is heralded as a martyr, rebelled against the white slave owners of the south by walking from plantation to plantation massacring the owners and their family’s. Even today, his martyrdom is vividly recounted in elementary educations black history courses. However, what is not often remembered is the fierce backlash that ensued due to the violent nature of his rebellion. Violence and discrimination continued to plague Black Americans even after the Civil war. They were lynched, their homes were burned, and they were terrorized by white supremacists who refused to accept the outcome of the war. Blacks did not sit by idly and watch, there are many reports of black militant groups organizing and forming to fight for civil rights. The problem was these groups incorporated violence in their movement, which as a result had violent reproductions. By the 1950’s, Blacks had seemingly come a long way from their years of slavery. They could vote, hold a job, and even go to public school. Many whites believed that they had undisputedly given Black Americans a normal life, a life of equality. Yet, in the words of George Bernard Shaw, “Where equality is undisputed, so also is subordination.” This clash of beliefs was raging furiously in the deep south where Jim Crow laws proclaiming Blacks as “Separate yet Equal” prevented them from attending the better schools, drinking from the same water fountains, using the same restrooms, eating at the local diner, or sitting on the front of a city bus. Although blacks now had some rights, they were in no way treated as equals, separated yes, but not equal. The schools young black children were forced to attend were inadequate. It was not uncommon to find an entire class of children sharing the only book made available to the school by the state. While young white children were bussed to and from school, the Blacks were forced to walk sometimes two or more miles to school. Many Black families had such a low income that it was impractical for children to work past the fourth grade when they could be making money to support their family. After all, their education would not do them any good if they could not find a decent job when they graduate. The condition of the Black American was such that rebellion was imminent and the sociopolitical strain that existed created a tension that made violence the most appealing release. In the context of the civil rights movement, this violence came at a time when Blacks needed to define their purpose. Arendt states, “The problem with the beginning” concerning revolution “is that such a beginning must be intimately connected with violence” and that “Whatever brotherhood human beings may be capable of has grown out of fratricide.” There was a time when violence was a necessary means of empowerment for the Blacks. Yet violence can only be justified in extreme circumstances; for example, when a life or lives are in immediate dander.

Some topics in this essay:
American Black, Nat Turner, Birmingham Jail”, According Camus’, Arendt King, David Thoreau, Hatred Violence, Jim Crow, Mahatma Gandhi, Wretched Earth, civil rights, civil rights movement, rights movement, king believed, slave owners, martin luther, civil disobedience, sons former slave, unjust law, sympathy support, martin luther king, king jr, luther king, rights movement king, bring people clarity,