This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed

Download This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 0465080952
Total Pages : 322 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (65 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed by : Charles E Cobb Jr.

Download or read book This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed written by Charles E Cobb Jr. and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2014-06-03 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Visiting Martin Luther King Jr. at the peak of the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, journalist William Worthy almost sat on a loaded pistol. "Just for self defense," King assured him. It was not the only weapon King kept for such a purpose; one of his advisors remembered the reverend's Montgomery, Alabama home as "an arsenal." Like King, many ostensibly "nonviolent" civil rights activists embraced their constitutional right to selfprotection -- yet this crucial dimension of the Afro-American freedom struggle has been long ignored by history. In This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed, civil rights scholar Charles E. Cobb Jr. describes the vital role that armed self-defense played in the survival and liberation of black communities in America during the Southern Freedom Movement of the 1960s. In the Deep South, blacks often safeguarded themselves and their loved ones from white supremacist violence by bearing -- and, when necessary, using -- firearms. In much the same way, Cobb shows, nonviolent civil rights workers received critical support from black gun owners in the regions where they worked. Whether patrolling their neighborhoods, garrisoning their homes, or firing back at attackers, these courageous men and women and the weapons they carried were crucial to the movement's success. Giving voice to the World War II veterans, rural activists, volunteer security guards, and self-defense groups who took up arms to defend their lives and liberties, This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed lays bare the paradoxical relationship between the nonviolent civil rights struggle and the Second Amendment. Drawing on his firsthand experiences in the civil rights movement and interviews with fellow participants, Cobb provides a controversial examination of the crucial place of firearms in the fight for American freedom.

Why Civil Resistance Works

Download Why Civil Resistance Works PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231527489
Total Pages : 451 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Why Civil Resistance Works by : Erica Chenoweth

Download or read book Why Civil Resistance Works written by Erica Chenoweth and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2011-08-09 with total page 451 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than a century, from 1900 to 2006, campaigns of nonviolent resistance were more than twice as effective as their violent counterparts in achieving their stated goals. By attracting impressive support from citizens, whose activism takes the form of protests, boycotts, civil disobedience, and other forms of nonviolent noncooperation, these efforts help separate regimes from their main sources of power and produce remarkable results, even in Iran, Burma, the Philippines, and the Palestinian Territories. Combining statistical analysis with case studies of specific countries and territories, Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan detail the factors enabling such campaigns to succeed and, sometimes, causing them to fail. They find that nonviolent resistance presents fewer obstacles to moral and physical involvement and commitment, and that higher levels of participation contribute to enhanced resilience, greater opportunities for tactical innovation and civic disruption (and therefore less incentive for a regime to maintain its status quo), and shifts in loyalty among opponents' erstwhile supporters, including members of the military establishment. Chenoweth and Stephan conclude that successful nonviolent resistance ushers in more durable and internally peaceful democracies, which are less likely to regress into civil war. Presenting a rich, evidentiary argument, they originally and systematically compare violent and nonviolent outcomes in different historical periods and geographical contexts, debunking the myth that violence occurs because of structural and environmental factors and that it is necessary to achieve certain political goals. Instead, the authors discover, violent insurgency is rarely justifiable on strategic grounds.

Violence, Nonviolence, and the Palestinian National Movement

Download Violence, Nonviolence, and the Palestinian National Movement PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1139503057
Total Pages : 303 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (395 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Violence, Nonviolence, and the Palestinian National Movement by : Wendy Pearlman

Download or read book Violence, Nonviolence, and the Palestinian National Movement written by Wendy Pearlman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2011-10-24 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why do some national movements use violent protest and others nonviolent protest? Wendy Pearlman shows that much of the answer lies inside movements themselves. Nonviolent protest requires coordination and restraint, which only a cohesive movement can provide. When, by contrast, a movement is fragmented, factional competition generates new incentives for violence and authority structures are too weak to constrain escalation. Pearlman reveals these patterns across one hundred years in the Palestinian national movement, with comparisons to South Africa and Northern Ireland. To those who ask why there is no Palestinian Gandhi, Pearlman demonstrates that nonviolence is not simply a matter of leadership. Nor is violence attributable only to religion, emotions or stark instrumentality. Instead, a movement's organizational structure mediates the strategies that it employs. By taking readers on a journey from civil disobedience to suicide bombings, this book offers fresh insight into the dynamics of conflict and mobilization.

Nonviolence Before King

Download Nonviolence Before King PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Justice, Power, and Politics
ISBN 13 : 9781469663005
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (63 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Nonviolence Before King by : Anthony C. Siracusa

Download or read book Nonviolence Before King written by Anthony C. Siracusa and published by Justice, Power, and Politics. This book was released on 2021-06-07 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the early 1960s, thousands of Black activists used nonviolent direct action to challenge segregation at lunch counters, movie theaters, skating rinks, public pools, and churches across the United States, battling for, and winning, social change. Organizers against segregation had used litigation and protests for decades but not until the advent of nonviolence did they succeed in transforming ingrained patterns of white supremacy on a massive scale. In this book, Anthony C. Siracusa unearths the deeper lineage of anti-war pacifist activists and thinkers from the early twentieth century who developed nonviolence into a revolutionary force for Black liberation. Telling the story of how this powerful political philosophy came to occupy a central place in the Black freedom movement by 1960, Siracusa challenges the idea that nonviolent freedom practices faded with the rise of the Black Power movement. He asserts nonviolence's staying power, insisting that the indwelling commitment to struggle for freedom collectively in a spirit of nonviolence became, for many, a lifelong commitment. In the end, what was revolutionary about the nonviolent method was its ability to assert the basic humanity of Black Americans, to undermine racism's dehumanization, and to insist on the right to be.

We the Resistance

Download We the Resistance PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : City Lights Books
ISBN 13 : 0872868516
Total Pages : 526 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (728 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis We the Resistance by : Michael G. Long

Download or read book We the Resistance written by Michael G. Long and published by City Lights Books. This book was released on 2021-01-29 with total page 526 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A highly relevant, inclusive collection of voices from the roots of resistance. . . . Empowering words to challenge, confront, and defy."--Kirkus Reviews "This book fights fascism. This books offers hope. We The Resistance is essential reading for those who wish to understand how popular movements built around nonviolence have changed the world and why they retain the power to do so again."—Jonathan Eig, author of Ali: A Life "This comprehensive documentary history of non-violent resisters and resistance movements is an inspiring antidote to any movement fatigue or pessimism about the value of protest. It tells us we can learn from the past as we confront the present and hope to shape the future. Read, enjoy and take courage knowing you are never alone in trying to create a more just world. Persevere and persist and win, but know that even losing is worth the fight and teaches lessons for later struggles."—Mary Frances Berry, author of History Teaches Us to Resist: How Progressive Movements Have Succeeded in Challenging Times "We the Resistance illustrates the deeply rooted, dynamic, and multicultural history of nonviolent resistance and progressive activism in North America and the United States. With a truly comprehensive collection of primary sources, it becomes clear that dissent has always been a central feature of American political culture and that periods of quiescence and consensus are aberrant rather than the norm. Indeed, the depth and breadth of resistant and discordant voices in this collection is simply outstanding."—Leilah Danielson, author of American Gandhi: A.J. Muste and the History of American Radicalism in the Twentieth Century While historical accounts of the United States typically focus on the nation's military past, a rich and vibrant counterpoint remains basically unknown to most Americans. This alternate story of the formation of our nation—and its character—is one in which courageous individuals and movements have wielded the weapons of nonviolence to resist policies and practices they considered to be unjust, unfair, and immoral. We the Resistance gives curious citizens and current resisters unfiltered access to the hearts and minds—the rational and passionate voices—of their activist predecessors. Beginning with the pre-Revolutionary era and continuing through the present day, readers will directly encounter the voices of protesters sharing instructive stories about their methods (from sit-ins to tree-sitting) and opponents (from Puritans to Wall Street bankers), as well as inspirational stories about their failures (from slave petitions to the fight for the ERA) and successes (from enfranchisement for women to today's reform of police practices). Instruction and inspiration run throughout this captivating reader, generously illustrated with historic graphics and photographs of nonviolent protests throughout U.S. history.

Nonviolent Resistance

Download Nonviolent Resistance PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 0745690491
Total Pages : 124 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (456 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Nonviolent Resistance by : Todd May

Download or read book Nonviolent Resistance written by Todd May and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-06-04 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We see nonviolent resistance all over today’s world, from Egypt’s Tahrir Square to New York Occupy. Although we think of the last century as one marked by wars and violent conflict, in fact it was just as much a century of nonviolence as the achievements of Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. and peaceful protests like the one that removed Ferdinand Marcos from the Philippines clearly demonstrate. But what is nonviolence? What makes a campaign a nonviolent one, and how does it work? What values does it incorporate? In this unique study, Todd May, a philosopher who has himself participated in campaigns of nonviolent resistance, offers the first extended philosophical reflection on the particular and compelling political phenomenon of nonviolence. Drawing on both historical and contemporary examples, he examines the concept and objectives of nonviolence, and considers the different dynamics of nonviolence, from moral jiu-jitsu to nonviolent coercion. May goes on to explore the values that infuse nonviolent activity, especially the respect for dignity and the presupposition of equality, before taking a close-up look at the role of nonviolence in today’s world. Students of politics, peace studies, and philosophy, political activists, and those interested in the shape of current politics will find this book an invaluable source for understanding one of the most prevalent, but least reflected upon, political approaches of our world.

Stride Toward Freedom

Download Stride Toward Freedom PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Beacon Press
ISBN 13 : 0807000701
Total Pages : 220 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (7 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Stride Toward Freedom by : Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Download or read book Stride Toward Freedom written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: MLK’s classic account of the first successful large-scale act of nonviolent resistance in America: the Montgomery bus boycott. A young Dr. King wrote Stride Toward Freedom just 2 years after the successful completion of the boycott. In his memoir about the event, he tells the stories that informed his radical political thinking before, during, and after the boycott—from first witnessing economic injustice as a teenager and watching his parents experience discrimination to his decision to begin working with the NAACP. Throughout, he demonstrates how activism and leadership can come from any experience at any age. Comprehensive and intimate, Stride Toward Freedom emphasizes the collective nature of the movement and includes King’s experiences learning from other activists working on the boycott, including Mrs. Rosa Parks and Claudette Colvin. It traces the phenomenal journey of a community and shows how the 28-year-old Dr. King, with his conviction for equality and nonviolence, helped transform the nation and the world.

Acts of Conscience

Download Acts of Conscience PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231144199
Total Pages : 371 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (311 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Acts of Conscience by : Joseph Kip Kosek

Download or read book Acts of Conscience written by Joseph Kip Kosek and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2011 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In response to the massive bloodshed that defined the twentieth century, American religious radicals developed a modern form of nonviolent protest, one that combined Christian principles with new uses of mass media. Greatly influenced by the ideas of Mohandas Gandhi, these "acts of conscience" included sit-ins, boycotts, labor strikes, and conscientious objection to war. Beginning with World War I and ending with the ascendance of Martin Luther King Jr., Joseph Kip Kosek traces the impact of A. J. Muste, Richard Gregg, and other radical Christian pacifists on American democratic theory and practice. These dissenters found little hope in the secular ideologies of Wilsonian Progressivism, revolutionary Marxism, and Cold War liberalism, all of which embraced organized killing at one time or another. The example of Jesus, they believed, demonstrated the immorality and futility of such violence under any circumstance and for any cause. Yet the theories of Christian nonviolence are anything but fixed. For decades, followers have actively reinterpreted the nonviolent tradition, keeping pace with developments in politics, technology, and culture. Tracing the rise of militant nonviolence across a century of industrial conflict, imperialism, racial terror, and international warfare, Kosek recovers radical Christians' remarkable stance against the use of deadly force, even during World War II and other seemingly just causes. His research sheds new light on an interracial and transnational movement that posed a fundamental, and still relevant, challenge to the American political and religious mainstream.

American Nonviolence

Download American Nonviolence PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Orbis Books
ISBN 13 : 1608334139
Total Pages : 348 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (83 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis American Nonviolence by : Ira Chernus

Download or read book American Nonviolence written by Ira Chernus and published by Orbis Books. This book was released on 2004-01-01 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Power of Nonviolence

Download The Power of Nonviolence PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108575056
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (85 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Power of Nonviolence by : Richard Bartlett Gregg

Download or read book The Power of Nonviolence written by Richard Bartlett Gregg and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-11-08 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Power of Nonviolence, written by Richard Bartlett Gregg in 1934 and revised in 1944 and 1959, is the most important and influential theory of principled or integral nonviolence published in the twentieth century. Drawing on Gandhi's ideas and practice, Gregg explains in detail how the organized power of nonviolence (power-with) exercised against violent opponents can bring about small and large transformative social change and provide an effective substitute for war. This edition includes a major introduction by political theorist, James Tully, situating the text in its contexts from 1934 to 1959, and showing its great relevance today. The text is the definitive 1959 edition with a foreword by Martin Luther King, Jr. It includes forewords from earlier editions, the chapter on class struggle and nonviolent resistance from 1934, a crucial excerpt from a 1929 preliminary study, a biography and bibliography of Gregg, and a bibliography of recent work on nonviolence.

Nonviolence in America

Download Nonviolence in America PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 582 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (97 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Nonviolence in America by : Staughton Lynd

Download or read book Nonviolence in America written by Staughton Lynd and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 582 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A revision of the 1966 original publication (Bobbs-Merrill). Compiles first-hand sources that document the history of nonviolence in the US from colonial times to the present. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Nonviolent Resistance and Democratic Consolidation

Download Nonviolent Resistance and Democratic Consolidation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030393712
Total Pages : 196 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (33 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Nonviolent Resistance and Democratic Consolidation by : Daniel Lambach

Download or read book Nonviolent Resistance and Democratic Consolidation written by Daniel Lambach and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-03-20 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book argues that democracies emerging from peaceful protest last longer, achieve higher levels of democratic quality, and are more likely to see at least two peaceful handovers of power than democracies that emerged out of violent resistance or top-down liberalization. Nonviolent resistance is not just an effective means of deposing dictators; it can also help consolidate democracy after the transition from autocratic rule. Drawing on case studies on democratic consolidation in Africa and Latin America, the authors find that nonviolent resistance creates a more inclusive transition process that is more resistant to democratic breakdown in the long term.

The Power of Nonviolent Resistance

Download The Power of Nonviolent Resistance PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 052550589X
Total Pages : 354 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (255 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Power of Nonviolent Resistance by : M. K. Gandhi

Download or read book The Power of Nonviolent Resistance written by M. K. Gandhi and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2019-09-24 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In time for the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of his birth, a specially curated collection of Mahatma Gandhi's writings on nonviolent resistance and activism. A Penguin Classic The year 2019 marks the 150th anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi's birth, and Penguin Classics presents a short but comprehensive selection of text by Gandhi that speaks to non-violent civil disobedience and activism. In excerpts drawn from his books, letters, and essays--including from Hind Swaraj, Satyagraha in South Africa, Yeravda Mandir, Ashram Observances in Action, his readings of Thoreau and Tolstoy, and his essays on the life of Socrates--the reader observes the power and eloquence in which Gandhi expressed his views on non-violent resistance, which have inspired activists from the U.S. Civil Rights movement and around the world. The Power of Nonviolent Resistance includes a new introduction and suggestions for further exploration by renowned Gandhi scholar Tridip Suhrud, which gives context to the time of Gandhi's writings while placing them firmly into the present-day political climate, inspiring a new generation of activists to follow the civil rights hero's teachings and practices.

A Door Into Ocean

Download A Door Into Ocean PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Orb Books
ISBN 13 : 1429963654
Total Pages : 418 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (299 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis A Door Into Ocean by : Joan Slonczewski

Download or read book A Door Into Ocean written by Joan Slonczewski and published by Orb Books. This book was released on 2000-10-13 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joan Slonczewski's A Door into Ocean is the novel upon which the author's reputation as an important SF writer principally rests. A ground-breaking work both of feminist SF and of world-building hard SF, it concerns the Sharers of Shora, a nation of women on a distant moon in the far future who are pacifists, highly advanced in biological sciences, and who reproduce by parthenogenesis--there are no males--and tells of the conflicts that erupt when a neighboring civilization decides to develop their ocean world, and send in an army. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Download Letter from Birmingham Jail PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : HarperOne
ISBN 13 : 9780063425811
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (258 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Letter from Birmingham Jail by : Martin Luther King

Download or read book Letter from Birmingham Jail written by Martin Luther King and published by HarperOne. This book was released on 2025-01-14 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A beautiful commemorative edition of Dr. Martin Luther King's essay "Letter from Birmingham Jail," part of Dr. King's archives published exclusively by HarperCollins. With an afterword by Reginald Dwayne Betts On April 16, 1923, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., responded to an open letter written and published by eight white clergyman admonishing the civil rights demonstrations happening in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. King drafted his seminal response on scraps of paper smuggled into jail. King criticizes his detractors for caring more about order than justice, defends nonviolent protests, and argues for the moral responsibility to obey just laws while disobeying unjust ones. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" proclaims a message - confronting any injustice is an acceptable and righteous reason for civil disobedience. This beautifully designed edition presents Dr. King's speech in its entirety, paying tribute to this extraordinary leader and his immeasurable contribution, and inspiring a new generation of activists dedicated to carrying on the fight for justice and equality.

Nonviolent Revolutions

Download Nonviolent Revolutions PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : OUP USA
ISBN 13 : 0199778205
Total Pages : 198 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Nonviolent Revolutions by : Sharon Erickson Nepstad

Download or read book Nonviolent Revolutions written by Sharon Erickson Nepstad and published by OUP USA. This book was released on 2011-07-28 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the spring of 1989, Chinese workers and students captured global attention as they occupied Tiananmen Square, demanded political change, and were tragically suppressed by the Chinese army. Months later, East German civilians rose up nonviolently, brought down the Berlin Wall, and dismantled their regime. Although both movements used tactics of civil resistance, their outcomes were different. Why? In Nonviolent Revolutions, Sharon Erickson Nepstad examines these and other uprisings in Panama, Chile, Kenya, and the Philippines. Taking a comparative approach that includes both successful and failed cases of nonviolent resistance, Nepstad analyzes the effects of movements' strategies along with the counter-strategies regimes developed to retain power. She shows that a significant influence on revolutionary outcomes is security force defections, and explores the reasons why soldiers defect or remain loyal and the conditions that increase the likelihood of mutiny. She then examines the impact of international sanctions, finding that they can at times harm movements by generating new allies for authoritarian leaders or by shifting the locus of power from local civil resisters to international actors. Nonviolent Revolutions offers essential insights into the challenges that civil resisters face and elucidates why some of these movements failed. With a recent surge of popular uprisings across the Middle East, this book provides a valuable new understanding of the dynamics and potency of civil resistance and nonviolent revolt.

Why We Can't Wait

Download Why We Can't Wait PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Beacon Press
ISBN 13 : 0807001139
Total Pages : 120 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (7 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Why We Can't Wait by : Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Download or read book Why We Can't Wait written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2011-01-11 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dr. King’s best-selling account of the civil rights movement in Birmingham during the spring and summer of 1963 On April 16, 1963, as the violent events of the Birmingham campaign unfolded in the city’s streets, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., composed a letter from his prison cell in response to local religious leaders’ criticism of the campaign. The resulting piece of extraordinary protest writing, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” was widely circulated and published in numerous periodicals. After the conclusion of the campaign and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, King further developed the ideas introduced in the letter in Why We Can’t Wait, which tells the story of African American activism in the spring and summer of 1963. During this time, Birmingham, Alabama, was perhaps the most racially segregated city in the United States, but the campaign launched by King, Fred Shuttlesworth, and others demonstrated to the world the power of nonviolent direct action. Often applauded as King’s most incisive and eloquent book, Why We Can’t Wait recounts the Birmingham campaign in vivid detail, while underscoring why 1963 was such a crucial year for the civil rights movement. Disappointed by the slow pace of school desegregation and civil rights legislation, King observed that by 1963—during which the country celebrated the one-hundredth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation—Asia and Africa were “moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence but we still creep at a horse-and-buggy pace.” King examines the history of the civil rights struggle, noting tasks that future generations must accomplish to bring about full equality, and asserts that African Americans have already waited over three centuries for civil rights and that it is time to be proactive: “For years now, I have heard the word ‘Wait!’ It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never.’ We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that ‘justice too long delayed is justice denied.’”