Newton’s laws of motion are the following. A body at rest stays at rest, and a body in motion stays in motion, unless it is acted on by an external force. Force equals mass times acceleration and finally, to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The same principles apply in social situations. Violence usually ends up with a reaction of an equal amount of violence. However in reality, violence has a tendency to grow out of control.
When faced with a problem, one can either ignore it or face the situation. African Americans were forced to deal with the problems of discrimination and segregation for over a hundred years. The unparalleled violence against black people included beatings, rape, and even lynchings. Until the Civil Rights Movement, black people were still enslaved; enslaved by the fear of their oppressors.
Martin Luther King Jr. was the most famous non violent activist for change during the Civil Rights Movement. Non violent approaches worked because the media would catch images and video of peaceful protesters suffering from violence. The guilt of seeing peaceful protesters getting violently attacked provokes change in many cases. However, meeting violence with peace goes against the laws of physics. All actions are met with an equal and opposite reaction.
Other people felt the situation with the Civil Rights Movement should be handled differently. Malcolm X believed that if the government did not do its job to protect you then you retain the right to do so yourself. He stated that the second amendment applied to everyone and that all black people should own firearms for self defense. According to Malcolm X, racism was to be destroyed, by any means necessary. When the government fails to protect the people they have the right to take matters into their own hands. Jean Owens was raped by four men and the men were never charged for their heinous crime. White people were never charged for crimes committed against blacks. Physical, mental, and emotional abuse was a part of daily life for black people.
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