drew nationwide attention . However , King was personally criticized by black and white clergy alike for taking risks and endangering the children who attended the demonstration . From the jail in Birmingham , King eloquently spelled out his theory of non-violence : “ Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community , which has constantly refused to negotiate , is forced to confront the issue .”
By the end of the Birmingham campaign , Martin Luther King Jr . and his supporters were making plans for a massive demonstration on the nation ’ s capital composed of multiple organizations , all asking for peaceful change . On August 28 , 1963 , the historic March on Washington drew more than 200,000 people in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial . It was here that King made his famous “ I Have a Dream ” speech , emphasizing his belief that someday all men could be brothers .
The rising tide of civil rights agitation produced a strong effect on public opinion . Many people in cities not experiencing racial tension began to question the nation ’ s Jim Crow laws and the near century second class treatment of African-American citizens . This resulted in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 authorizing the federal government to enforce desegregation of public accommodations and outlawing discrimination in publicly owned facilities . This also led to Martin Luther King receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for 1964 .
King ’ s struggle continued throughout the 1960s . Often , it seemed as though the pattern of progress was two steps forward and one step back . On March 7 , 1965 , a civil rights march , planned from Selma to Alabama ’ s capital in Montgomery , turned violent as police with nightsticks and tear gas met the demonstrators as they tried to cross the Edmond Pettus Bridge . King was not in the march , however the attack was televised showing horrifying images of marchers being bloodied and severely injured . Seventeen demonstrators were hospitalized leading to the naming the event “ Bloody Sunday .” A second march was cancelled due to a restraining order to prevent the march from taking place . A third march was planned and this time King made sure he was on it . Not wanting to alienate southern judges by violating the restraining order , a different tact was taken . On March 9 , 1965 , a procession of 2,500 marchers , both black and white , set out once again to cross the Pettus Bridge and confronted barricades and state troopers . Instead of forcing a confrontation , King led his followers to kneel in prayer and they then turned back . The event caused King the loss of support among some younger African-American leaders , but it nonetheless aroused support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 .
From late 1965 through 1967 , Martin Luther King Jr . expanded his Civil Rights Movement into other larger American cities , including Chicago and Los Angeles . But he met with increasing criticism and public challenges from young black-power leaders . King ’ s patient , non-violent approach and appeal to white middle-class citizens alienated many black militants who considered his methods too weak and too late . In the eyes of the sharp-tongued , blue jean young urban black , King ’ s manner was irresponsibly passive and deemed non-effective . To address this criticism King began making a link between discrimination and poverty . He expanded his civil rights efforts to the Vietnam War . He felt that America ’ s involvement in Vietnam was politically unten-
16 December Edition