Identify and briefly describe the four strategies employed by the leaders of the modern civil rights movement. If you were advising a group seeking to guarantee certain civil rights today (for example, disabled people, gays/lesbians, or immigrants) which would you advise them to use?


Answer: There were four strategies employed by the leaders of the modern civil rights movement.  The first was legalism, which used the courts to attack discriminatory laws or practices.  The limits of legalism are the cost, slow change, burden on the individual and it was elite driven.  The second was nonviolent direct action (NVDA).  NVDA identifies an unjust law which is then broken by individuals trying to promote change.  Individuals must then accept the consequences of breaking the law, but if enough do so, it puts pressure on local governments.  The third strategy was political action, which used voting on proactive agendas to force change.  Finally, the fourth strategy was the black power movement.  This strategy promoted disengagement from white-society and setting up a separate black power structure.  It provided services to the black community and promoted positive black images, but had weak leadership and was prone to violence and paranoia.
If I was advising a civil rights group today, I would advise them to use the first three strategies.  Legalism, NVDA and political action are positive and effective ways to enable change.  They usually encourage sympathetic news coverage and get the message of the group out to the broader public.  A strategy like the black power movement would not be effective.  If you want to change society, you can’t separate from it or try to change it from the outside.  You need to work within the system to change it. Violence will also turn public support away from your group and allow government agencies to crack down on your leadership, making it hard to continue to bring about the change you desire.