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What was the nonviolence movement?

The nonviolence movement was the approach that Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) advocated within the Civil Rights movement. He strongly believed in bringing about change through nonviolent means such as boycotts, marches, speeches, and sit-ins. King made a powerful speech during the onset of the Civil Rights movement, saying "We are not here advocating violence. . . . The only weapon we have . . . is the weapon of protest." Through out his life King and his followers adhered strictly to this approach, never resorting to violence even when under attack themselves. In 1957 King established the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) with other African American leaders who believed in the nonviolence movement.

In 1963 a massive demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama, helped sway public opinion when news coverage of the event showed peaceful demonstrators being brutally...

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