Nonviolent Direct Actions - Coursework Example

Civil rights movements adopted these tactics from the influence of Martin Luther King Jr., who preached nonviolent approaches to solving community problems and succeed in his nonviolent campaigns. Nonviolent direct action remains crucial in the contemporary world for exposing atrocities, for example, corruption, committed by those in public offices. People can engage in direct nonviolent action to demand change and public accountability on part of leaders.

Gender:

How did the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade transform the issue of abortion in the US? What was the practice of abortion like before 1973?

In the case Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court invalidated the Texas law prohibiting abortion by a 7-2 vote.  The court argued that no state was legally empowered to restrict abortions during a pregnancy’s trimester or the initial three months. States were only allowed to implement restraining abortion laws respecting the health of mothers in the second trimester and the state laws had to be made following the ruling in Roe v. Wade. The decision of the court triggered lobby groups with the emergence of a “pro-life” camp championing for Constitutional Amendment (Right-to-Life Amendment) against the “pro-choice” camp that supported the 1973 Supreme Court ruling. The American society before Roe v. Wade was marred with illegal abortions.

Class:

What is the historical and contemporary significance of the Haymarket affair (1886)?

The Haymarket protest was arranged by labor radicals on May 4, 1886, to protest the murders and injuries inflicted on many workers by the Chicago police in a previous day’s strike at the McCormick Reaper Works. Violence erupted when someone threw a bond at the police who came to disperse the protesting workers.  Some seven protestors were arrested in connection with the bomb and sentenced to death despite no evidence held against them. This affair portrays historical injustices that are greatly embedded in the workplace as well as the American justice system. The aftermath of the Haymarket affair divided public opinion on how the court handled the case of the men incarcerated. The men were believed to have been unfairly convicted, which triggered the implementation of the Bill of Rights via the Fourteenth Amendment.

War:

How does Martin Luther King, Jr. (pp. 423-7) see the issues of economic justice, racism, war, and militarism are all connected? Is it still a relevant issue today? How?

According to Martin Luther King, Jr., economic justice, racism, war, and militarism are all interconnected as they are forms of violence that make up the vicious cycle of poverty. They all form the main barrier to peaceful coexistence in the community. It is because of economic injustices and incidents of racial prejudice that people have gotten divided. This perpetuates poverty with the poor remaining marginalized in society. King argues that economic justice, racism, war, and militarism are evils in society that work to sustain the vicious cycle of poverty. This view is still relevant in the present world because the same factors that King cited are still the major cause of global poverty.

Bonus:

How has “direct action” been used in the different social movements we’ve studied this semester—the Civil Rights movements, women’s rights movements, labor movements, and anti-war movements? What are the similarities and differences?

Different social movements have used “direct action” to make their voice heard by those in power.  “Direct action” has been used by civil rights movements to champion human rights in cases where they feel that an organization or the government has acted in violation of fundamental human rights. Civil rights movements have used direct actions to push for new legislation or amendments to the constitution.   Further, women’s rights movements have used direct action to fight for gender equality in society, while labor movements have used direct action to push for employee rights and champion a safe and nondiscriminatory work environment. The similarity in the use of direct action is that all the movements use it to pursue some change. However, the specific objectives of the movements usually vary.