Nonviolent Protests: March Sparknotes

John Lewis has never let his 40+ arrest affect what he stands for. In Lewis’ book March, he tells his story of segregation in the 60’s and the events that shaped his life. From when he was a little kid, to an older adult, March displays Lewis deal with the segregation in the south, and the hard ships others endure. Although he experienced many events in his life, John Lewis used those events to build himself religiously and help others. Receiving his first bible, Jim Lawsons workshops, his decision not to go to college and Martin Luther King’s speech all helped him become who he is.

In the book trilogy, March by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin. John talks about his life growing up and making a difference. These highlights of his life would make him develop into someone more important. He received a Bible from his uncle as a gift, the trip John took up to Buffalo was a realization of how different the northern and southern states were. Segregation didn’t exist in the north. Later, John met Jim Lawson and began attended his workshops about non-violent protesting, and lastly his first arrest. These highlights during his youth would become eye-opening to Lewis that what he was putting himself through to take down segregation in the south was a risk for his life to save future generations.

The graphic novel trilogy, The March, tells a series of events that happen in John Lewis’s life for the better and for the worse. Throughout the books, he is faced with challenges that test his ability to stay true to his beliefs. When Lewis was a child, he received his first Bible from his uncle which was what sparked his heavy faith in God. During his spiritual journey, he began to listen to the teachings of MLK Jr. who impacted his life greatly. Lewis became the SNCC’s newest executive coordinating committee which opened his eyes to all the violence that was really apparent at the time.

Lewis, however, highlights these people whose lives will be greatly affected by decisions about and fights for civil rights so that those who are marching remember that the fight continues and has real consequences. Therefore, Lewis’ remarks in the first paragraph demonstrate that he identifies with the concerns of grassroots activists across the country who could not attend the march, and he explains that he has doubts about this march doing enough if the movement does not focus more on the grassroots efforts of its members. (Ms. Pruden)

In March book 2, author and activist, John Lewis, delivered a speech on August 28, 1963. Before John Lewis delivered his speech, there was a lot of ciaos occurring backstage about revising Lewis’ speech. Mr. Randolph wasn’t pleased with the way John Lewis worded parts of his speech and demanded for him to change it. After Lewis negotiated with Mr. Randolph, Lewis was still content with the arrangement of his speech. Lewis confronts his sentiments to the people regarding racial inequality. He emphasizes on the unfair acts that are implemented among the African American working class. John Lewis states, “While we stand here, there are sharecroppers in the Delta of Mississippi who are out in the fields working for less than three dollars a day, twelve hours a day” (Lewis Aydin 166). In this statement, Lewis explains his reasoning for assembling his speech. His objective was to arouse the public on the realism of the nation’s unjust behavior towards African Americans. Lewis explains the march on Washington is occurring because blacks don’t receive the same wages as whites. Lewis declares, “We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now” (Lewis Aydin 169). He proclaims that African Americans have been fighting for their freedom long enough and they are not willing to be patient. With his skillful use of appeals, Lewis applies powerful logos to illustrate racism, emotional pathos to connect with the audience, and ethos to appeal to the segregation and discrimination towards African Americans.

On August 28, 1963, John Lewis delivered his memorable speech on Washington to a 200,000 crowd of activist demanding peace and equality. Lewis’ purpose is to inspire others to join their march and make a mark on history. He adopts a demanding and bold tone in order to persuade the black activists and politicians to change the social norms and to join the social revolution. By demonstrating his demanding claims for equal rights to the politicians, whites, and African - Americans, John Lewis effectively utilizes syntax and diction to adequately get his message of hope, equality and desegregation.

Throughout American history, the fight for racial equality amongst society has had it’s ups and downs especially during the Civil Rights Movement. John Lewis, a civil rights leader, delivered “Speech at the March on Washington” in occurred during the 1960s America where racial discrimination was at it’s highest. This mostly caught the attention of the younger generation of the 1960s and the black community, which had a more vigilant tone. Lewis’ purpose for this speech is to inform the American citizens that African Americans want reform to protect themselves from harm. Lewis’ main claims he wanted his speech to symbolize is that all races should have the right to hold equal laws and freedom like any other white citizen had.

One evening upon graduating high school, Stokely finally felt his calling to join the movement. Carmichael was watching a television newscast that showed young African Americans protesting the racial injustices. “When I first heard about the Negroes sitting in at lunch counters I thought they were a bunch of publicity hounds.” He watched as these people were knocked off stools, ketchup thrown in their hair, and sugar thrown in their eyes. After this he decided to join the Congress of Racial Equality.

In 1965 80 percent of Lowndes County, Alabama was African American though only a few Blacks were exercising their right to vote. This resulted in a lack of political representation in the area. I believe that Carmichael saw this event as an opportunity to assist Alabama Black Citizens gain representation in a dangerous area. Stokely’s actions in Lowndes County were the backbone of the Black Power Movement is forming. In 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965, prohibiting legal barriers at national and local elections that prevented Black Americans from using their freedom to vote. It took a push from local communities for local officials to allow non-discriminatory voting. This was frequently the case in the south because of frequent acts of violence toward Blacks. In Lowndes County, also known as “Bloody Lowndes,” whites would forcefully prevent their African American citizens from voting by threatening their lives with guns, mobs, and simply not educating the black community of their ability to vote. Stokely Carmichael arrived in Lowndes County in 1965, and he walked from door to door explaining that in 1965 a law was passed, giving all Black American citizens the right to vote without the fear of racial discrimination. Carmichael made an effort to put emphasis on the

Everywhere you look you see many different beautiful scenes of nature and socitety. In the book March, the illustrator, Nate Powell, along with the authors, John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, use these scenes to illustrate the civil rights movement. The novel shows the growth of the main character, John Lewis, and how he started as a young child who grew up into a very influential man in the civil rights movement. March describes many influential moments in the civil rights movement, such as the lunch counter sit-ins and the Freedom Ride. The novel uses different types of imagery to enhance the story and add. Powel uses white and black to evoke a sense of sadness. The illustrator also uses different techniques to show the importance of different

During the Civil Rights Movement, there were many activist of equal rights, both white and black. While there were many people who helped the cause, one of the most important was John Lewis. In the graphic novel March, Lewis, with coauthor Andrew Aydin and illustrator Nate Powell, tells the story of his journey from being the son of a poor sharecropper in Alabama, to a key figure of the 1960 Civil Rights Movement. John Lewis has had many life changing moments in his life that has made him the person he is today. Four events that have critically influenced his direction and philosophy by establishing a sense of purpose, and creating opportunities that promoted growth and development of character. Getting his first bible, his first

The March on Washington was powerful, yet more peaceful than others and orderly beyond anyone's expectations. (“In the Beginning there was a March.”) This was the cause of its success. Half a million people participated in the march. The march played a significant role and was important to the Civil Rights Movement.

This trilogy is entitled “March”, because of active marches that were happening in to protest of inequality of people of color. Several marches were depicted throughout the novel to show the perspectives of John Lewis and his civil right activists. Lewis and his comrades wanted their characteristics such as being as being resolute, unified, and steady to back up reasoning for their marches. Marches was a way to show strength and unity in a nonviolent way to get their points across. Lewis would govern these marches for his society that’s were being put in harm’s way like the bombing of the Loobys’.

In the October 1966 speech given by Stokely Carmichael, we are faced with a variety of terms involving racism and racist remarks. Just the year prior to this speech “blacks” had earned the right to vote on national ballots. The speech was given at the University of California Berkeley. Stokely Carmichael was born on June 29th, 1941, and he moved to the United States of America in 1951. This means at the time of his speech he was 25 years old. He was a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) later called the Student National Coordinating Committee. The significance of Mr. Carmichael giving the speech at the University of California Berkley was he was talking to the “youth” of the United States

From the Boston Tea Party of 1773, the Civil Rights Movement and the Pro-Life Movement of the 1960s, to the Tea Party Movement and Occupy Wall Street Movement of current times, “those struggling against unjust laws have engaged in acts of deliberate, open disobedience to government power to uphold higher principles regarding human rights and social justice” (DeForrest, 1998, p. 653) through nonviolent protests. Perhaps the most well-known of the non-violent protests are those associated with the Civil Rights movement. The movement was felt across the south, yet Birmingham, Alabama was known for its unequal treatment of blacks and became the focus of the Civil Rights Movement. Under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr., president of