By Alexander (Toto) Maclean, Year 12,
Throughout 1900-1970, there had been a series of significant reforms towards abolishing legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement. Through nonviolent/violent protest, grassroots and civil disobedience, activists secured landmark federal legislation, ending discriminating laws and protecting rights for all individuals. Violence may have been necessary to a limited extent in the struggle for women’s rights, as it occurred during a period of extreme gender discrimination, however the fight for education rights in the United States demonstrates that violence was not necessary to challenge the “separate but equal” doctrine, while the Civil Rights Movement shows that peaceful protest could significantly change the course of civil rights without the use of violence.
During the women’s suffragette movement, violence played a decisive role in the outcome of gaining rights. For example, One of the most extreme examples was Emily Davison, who died in 1913 after stepping in front of the King’s horse at the Epsom Derby, an act intended to draw national attention to the cause-becoming the first martyr for her cause and truly committing to “Deeds not words”. Shortly later, thousands lined the streets of London for a procession organized by the WSPU, with her coffin draped in suffragette colors.While these acts of violence brought attention to public they also alienated parts of the public and gave the government justification to portray suffragettes as dangerous- suggesting that violence may have delayed support rather than accelerated reform. In addition, suffragettes carried out attacks on public infrastructure, including paintings (such as The Rokeby Venus) and other artworks in public galleries. In 1914, Mary Richardson, a member of the WSPU, attacked Velázquez’s painting Rokeby Venus in the National Gallery with a meat cleaver to protest the imprisonment of Emmeline Pankhurst. This suggests that while such violent acts succeeded in gaining attention, they often harmed public sympathy and weakened support for women’s suffrage rather than directly advancing it. Furthermore, between 1909 and 1918, suffragettes in Britain, particularly the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) led by Emmeline Pankhurst, adopted more militant tactics after years of peaceful campaigning had failed. These actions included window-smashing, arson attacks on empty buildings of political actors such as David Lloyd George, and hunger strikes in prison. These tactics were intended to draw attention to women’s exclusion from government politics and to force the government to respond, and while these tactics succeeded in gaining publicity, they divided public opinion that led to harsh government oppression including force feeding. One of the most extreme examples was Emily Davison, who died in 1913 after stepping in front of the King’s horse at the Epsom Derby, an act intended to draw national attention to the cause-becoming the first martyr for her cause and truly committing to “Deeds not words”. Shortly later, thousands lined the streets of London for a procession organized by the WSPU, with her coffin draped in suffragette colors. While these acts of violence brought public attention, they also alienated parts of the public and gave the government justification to portray suffragettes as dangerous. This suggested that violence may have delayed support rather than accelerated reform.
On the other hand, the use of violence was not present in court cases to gain education rights in America. For example, in Murray vs Maryland in 1936, , a young Black man sought legal intervention so that he could be admitted to the University of Maryland Law School. In less than a year, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that the University of Maryland Law School could not deny admission to an African American student if no equal facilities existed elsewhere in the state. This case showed that segregation in education could be challenged effectively through the courts by exposing the inequality of “separate but equal” institutions, without any use of violence or protest. Similarly, in the court case of Gaines vs. Missouri in 1938, student Lloyd Gaines was denied admission to the University of Missouri because of his race, violating Fourteenth Amendment rights. For two and a half years, the case was supported by Charles Housten and ruled that Missouri failed in its constitutional duty to provide equal protection under the law by failing to provide equal access to public education within the state- admitting Mr. Gaines into ints law school. This decision weakened the foundation of segregation by forcing states to confront the cost and impracticality of maintaining the “separate but equal” doctrine, again proving that legal arguments could achieve progress peacefully. Lastly, in the Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka case in 1954, the supreme court was to declare state-mandated segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning the “separate but equal” doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. After almost two years after the arguments began, the ruling ended with racial segregation in public and private schools was unconstitutional.The ruling was achieved entirely through constitutional interpretation and legal advocacy, confirming that violence was not necessary to secure education rights. Overall, violence was not present during the rulings to end racial segregation in education, therefore proving that it was not necessary for the change to uphold legal rights.
Lastly, the use of peaceful protests were the most influential and effective way for upholding equal rights as seen in the 1960s. For example, the Birmingham Peace March in 1963, a pivotal series of nonviolent, direct-action protests in Birmingham, Alabama starting in April led by Martin Luther King Jr to challenge segregation in one of the most heavily segregated states of the south of the United States. Peaceful protesters, including children, were met with police violence such as fire hoses and police dogs, and the events were widely reported in the media and gained national attention and recognition to their cause. The use of a peaceful protest showed to have shocked the public, increasing support for equal civil rights, and pressure upon the government to intervene. In addition, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, led by Martin Luther King Jr, around 250,000 people were present-making it the biggest protest of its time. During the protest, King gave his famous “I have a dream”speech, which touched millions of Americans and not only gained national attention, but international as well. This strongly pressured the government to uphold equality, and strongly influenced the Civil Rights Act in 1964. This large-scale yet peaceful protest demonstrated widespread support for civil rights and helped persuade lawmakers that reform was both necessary and urgent. Lastly, the Montgomery march in 1965, were a series of three marches that took place from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. These marches were organized to protest the blocking of Black Americans’ right to vote by the systematic racist structure of one of the most heavily racist and segregated southern states. Shortly after, the match resulted with the creation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This outcome shows a direct link between nonviolent protest and legislative change, proving that violence by activists was not necessary to secure voting rights. To conclude, the use of peaceful protests were one of the most effective ways to secure equality and end racial segregation without the use of violence even if it was met with.
Violence played a limited and controversial role in securing rights in the 20th century. The actions of the suffragettes brought attention to gender inequality during a time where gender inequality was somewhat even with racism, but often alienated public support and delayed reform rather than accelerating it as well as costing their lives. While peaceful methods proved to be more effective in securing equal rights and ending Jim Crow style racial segregation policies, proving that violence was not unnecessary as proven by court cases to end segregation in education and protests that evidently ended legal segregation in America.
